


What Happens In Vegas...

by Tem637



Category: The Voice (US) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-03-06 19:51:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13418442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tem637/pseuds/Tem637
Summary: The boys hit Vegas and things don’t quite go as planned.





	1. The Morning After

Blake groaned as he rolled into a sitting position, the pounding in his head let him know that he just might have overdone it last night. He cradled his aching head in his hands as he sat as still as he could, waiting for the room to stop spinning. As soon as he was able, he stumbled to the bathroom. Keeping his eyes mostly closed he attempted his morning routine. How drunk had he got last night? Blake knew that he could hold his liquor better than most people, yet he couldn’t remember a thing. He only knew that he had one hell of a hangover and that it felt like something had crawled into his mouth and died. Blake brushed his teeth, trying to move as slowly as possible. Once done, he lowered his head and splashed some water on it, rubbing his hands over his face. 

That was odd. 

Something hard rubbed against him. Bleary eyes looked at his hands desperately trying to focus on what the hard thing was. Slowly a shiny bit of metal came in to view. 

What? 

Blake blinked rapidly, adrenaline kicking in and clearing away some of the fog. Yup, that was definitely a plain silver band circling his finger. He blinked once more and tentatively reached out with his other hand to feel it. Definitely real. What the _hell_ had happened last night?

With trepidation, he walked to the bathroom door and opened it. His gaze went from the rumpled bed he’d got up from to the other side of the room. There, tangled in sheets was a tuft of dark hair and a tattooed right arm. Blake walked over and looked down at the snoring man. He reached out an arm and shook him.

“Adam,” he rumbled. 

No response. 

He tried again, shaking just a little harder. He needed answers. “Adam!”

The dark haired man moaned and feebly flapped his hand to make his tormentor go away.

“Adam,” Blake tried once more. This time the man in question covered his eyes with his hand and moaned loudly. 

“Blaaake! Go ‘way.”

The big man shuffled backwards a few steps and rubbed his aching head.

“Adam, what happened last night?” 

The quiet tone was full of confusion but there was a hint of desperation that filtered through. Perhaps this is what made the smaller man slowly lower his hand and prise open his eyelids. Two tiny slits of hazel appeared and squinted up at his friend. The look on Blake’s face must have concerned the rock star as he pushed himself upright, groaning loudly and holding his head in his hands. Blake’s eyes immediately raked over the other man’s left hand and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the matching silver band. He desperately tried to draw in a breath.

“Adam.” It came out as barely a whisper but the brunet looked up. Noting the horror on his friend’s face his eyes opened a little wider. “Adam,” Blake repeated, gesturing vaguely towards him. “Your hand.”

With a sense of foreboding, Adam looked down at his hand, squinting to bring it in to focus. Blake could see the exact moment that the metal band around his finger registered by the sudden tensing of his muscles and the widening of his eyes. After a long moment Adam dragged his eyes up to his tall friend. The country star slowly raised his left hand. For a moment the smaller man just stared at Blake’s hand before dropping his eyes back down to his own. The silence continued on, neither of them moving, until Adam uttered a single word.

“Fuck.” 

Exactly.


	2. Clearing The Fog

Blake sat down heavily on his bed, facing Adam who was still sitting on his. “Do you remember what happened last night?” The Oklahoma accent came out stronger than usual. There was a pause as his companion obviously tried to think back. A rueful shake of the dark head, quickly aborted, answered that one. Blake stared at the bowed head desperately trying to remember. He recalled arriving in Vegas and the two of them having dinner. What happened next? Slowly, some memories filtered through. There was that bar. And that drinking competition. Ah yes. The drinking competition. Now it was coming back. Unfortunately there were still gaping holes but there was enough to begin to piece some of it together.

Adam’s competitive nature had kicked in when Blake had been making fun of him. There was something about country folk and how they were superior in every way to city boys. And something about how he could beat Adam at everything he did, especially winning The Voice. And there was definitely some rubbing his nose in it. 

When the drinking competition was proposed, Blake knew he could win and he did. But he did get awfully drunk. He vaguely remembered Adam throwing up a lot – well, at least he got some of the alcohol out of his system, although, judging from the way his friend looked, not enough. But the rest of the evening was still a complete blank. The country singer glanced down once more at the ring on his wedding finger. He had no memory at all of how this came about. Was it just a joke? Or, well, they _were_ in Vegas. They couldn’t have. Could they?

Unconsciously Blake twisted the ring around his finger and glanced back up at his friend. Adam still had his head cradled in his hands and looked to have no intention of discussing this further or even making eye contact. Well, tough. Blake never was one to shy away from awkward conversations.

“Hey.”

Not the most imaginative start, but at least he got the brunet’s attention. Not that Adam did anything except for tense slightly.

“Adam.” Blake wasn’t going to go through this on his own.

“What?” The smaller man grumbled, still not raising his head.

“Do you remember the drinking competition?”

That got the smaller man’s consideration. His brow furrowed in thought. The effort of trying to think was painful but he wanted answers too. It took almost a full minute before he spoke.

“Vaguely. I remember being sick. A lot. Did I win?”

Blake shot him an incredulous look. “No.”

Adam rubbed a forehead creased in pain. “Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure, you really think I’d lose a drinking competition?” That competitive nature kicked back in and Blake glared at his friend before catching sight of the hint of a smile. “Jackass,” he added mildly, rubbing his face with his hand. “You remember anything after that?”

Adam squinted as he tried to force his mind to co-operate. Another full minute passed before a minute shake of the head. “I didn’t even remember the drinking competition until you mentioned it.”

The country star looked down at the ring that he was once again twisting around his finger and forced himself to stop. He pulled the bit of metal off and looked at it. A completely plain silver band. “You think we just got them for a joke? You know, the whole bromance thing?”

This new idea intrigued Adam, offering a far more palatable solution. He looked at his hand and turned it from front to back, closely observing the ring. It was completely nondescript, nothing to indicate that it was an actual wedding ring. Besides, if they had gone out and bought wedding rings it would surely be all over social media by now. Adam’s eyes widened suddenly and his head shot up. “Social media!” he blurted.

Blake looked up at this outburst, momentarily confused. “What?”

“Social media! There must be something on social media, which means that we’ll be able to figure out what happened. Where’s my phone?”

Inspired by this piece of brilliance, Blake also began to search for his phone, finding it half under the bed. The two friends both sat in silence scrolling on their phones and there was an almost simultaneous sigh of relief when no angry voice mails or texts from their managers were apparent. The first thing Blake did was check Twitter, he had a well deserved reputation for drunk tweeting and knew this would be the first place to check. 

Uh oh. 

Two tweets. 

Blake was almost afraid to look. 

_@adamlevine thought he could beat me at a drinking competition. He’s throwing up and I’m still drinking. #Winner_

OK. Not the end of the world. Next one.

_I love @adamlevine._

Well that one had a thousand retweets and nearly twelve thousand favourites but again, not the end of the world. He’d tweeted similar enough before. Granted, not for a few years but nothing incriminating there. Perhaps all this really was just a minor gag that had somehow escaped everyone else’s notice. That could totally happen with the two of them. Right?

“You got anything?” Blake ventured. 

There was a moment more of scrolling before Adam answered. “Not really. You declaring undying love has set the fans off big time but apart from that, no.”

The big man felt the tension drain out of his body as the realisation that this wasn’t the big deal he’d made it out to be hit him. He should have realised sooner. I mean, they had woken up in separate beds and if Blake remembered his other wedding nights right then that wouldn’t have happened if he’d...wait, what was he thinking? Nothing had happened, this wasn’t a big deal. 

The phone in his hand vibrated and started to ring. He quickly swiped it to answer, mostly to stop the god awful noise. Before he could even formulate a greeting the irate voice of his manager bellowed at him. “Are you out of your goddamned mind?!”

“Uh,”

“Do you have _any_ idea?”

“Uh,” Blake repeated.

“Where are you?” his manager demanded.

This one he could answer. “Vegas.”

 _“Blake!"_ The clear anger and frustration was obvious but what had he done wrong? It was way too early and he was way too hungover to cope with all this shouting in his ear. “Where _exactly_ are you?”

“In a hotel.” The singer scrabbled around for any clue as to the name of it. Finding a header on a welcome card he relayed it to his manager.

“Where’s Levine?”

Blake shot a look at the man who was sitting on the opposite bed watching him intently. “With me.”

“I'm on my way. Don’t move. Don’t leave that room. Don’t speak to anyone and for god’s sake Blake, if you touch your phone except to answer to me I will throw you to the wolves myself!” With this final threat the line went dead. 

Perhaps it was a slightly bigger deal than they thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the encouragement!


	3. Waiting

Blake dropped the hand holding his phone back down and scrubbed his free hand through his hair. Adam watched him for a few seconds expectantly but when the country singer didn’t say anything a sigh exploded out of him. “Well?” he demanded. “Who was it? What did they say? They sounded pissed.”

Blake held up a hand to stop the flood of words. “My manager. He was pissed alright, not exactly sure why.” He had an inkling as to why but decided that denial was a far nicer place to be. “He said not to leave the room, see or speak to anyone.” The look Adam gave him indicated that this was not a minor request. “He’s on his way,” Blake added.

Adam responded by immediately checking his phone again. “There has to be something on here,” he muttered, furiously searching other social media accounts.

Blake sighed and grabbed something off of the desk. “You think ordering room service counts as seeing or speaking to people?”

Adam pulled his attention away from his screen to stare in disbelief at his friend. “Food? How can you even think about food? Dude, I feel ill just hearing the word.”

Blake shrugged, “I’m hungry.”

The rock star’s stare didn’t waver.

“What? Food helps you get over a hangover,” Blake stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. The pained look on Adam’s face implied otherwise. 

“If you get something that smells, I won’t be held responsible for what happens.” His face twisted at even the thought of eating and one hand unconsciously moved to his stomach. He tuned the bigger man out as the country star placed his order, focusing instead on searching the internet for any clue as to why Blake’s manager would be so intent on keeping the big man contained. Nothing.

“I’m gonna take a quick shower. If the food comes, leave it on the desk.” With this parting instruction, Blake scooped up his clothes and shut himself in the bathroom. Adam mostly ignored him until a sudden thought crossed his mind. _He_ didn’t want to be the one to see the person delivering the room service. In fact, he’d rather not be seen at all. What if it was simply Blake who was in trouble? Adam’s manager hadn’t called him. Perhaps this was all on Blake. Blake should be the one to take the heat, right? Adam might not even be on the radar. He _definitely_ shouldn’t be seen with that train wreck. 

Adam nervously glanced at the door approximately every three seconds, winding himself into a spiral of anxiety until the noise of the shower cut off. Then he alternated between glancing at the door to the room and the door to the bathroom, completely convincing himself that Blake was simply waiting for the knock at the door to either leave Adam to deal with it on his own or to walk out, incriminating them both. 

When the door to the bathroom opened Adam jumped up and dived through. “My turn!” he hollered as he flashed past Blake, who hesitated for a brief second before shaking his head and continuing into the room. Sometimes the rock star was more than a little strange.

A knock at the door interrupted Blake’s musings and he ambled over to answer it. Accepting the food, he went to find his wallet to tip the man and turned back to find the hotel employee peering round the room as if looking for something. The man jumped back guiltily, stuffing his hands into his pockets and stammering a quick thank you to Blake before hurriedly leaving. The singer frowned at the strange behaviour before dismissing it in favour of eating.

By the time that Adam ventured out of the bathroom Blake had devoured his breakfast and was just setting the plate aside. He looked up as the door opened to be greeted with the sight of his friend with just a towel wrapped around his hips. The taller man tried not to stare at the glistening ink that covered Adam’s torso and arms. The tattoo covered man moved towards his bags to get dressed while Blake sat back down, trying his best not to pick up his phone. With a sigh he looked back towards his friend. Adam, unlike Blake, had no qualms with nudity. The rock star was dressing and the cowboy mused that if he had a body like that then he would have no hesitation about showing it off either. He looked back towards his phone wondering if it would be so bad to just check Twitter. 

Giving in, because really he had the willpower of a three year old being offered cake, Blake picked up his phone and scrolled through his mentions. There was absolutely nothing that warranted an irate call from his manager or the dire threats to steer clear of everyone and everything. Could this be completely unrelated to whatever had happened last night? If something even _did_ happen last night. A couple of plain silver bands that they just happened to be wearing on their wedding fingers did not have to mean anything significant. Did it?

Pulling the ring off once more, the singer examined it closer. Nothing special, just a plain, silver band. Holding it in the palm of his hand, Blake slowly tipped his head to one side as he reconsidered. It was awfully heavy for silver. In fact, now that he thought about it, it was very heavy. He knew it had been a couple of years but he didn’t remember his wedding ring being this heavy. What did that mean?

His thoughts were interrupted by more knocking on the door. He got up to answer it when the now dressed Adam hissed at him. _“Blake!”_ The country star stopped with his hand on the door knob, looking back over his shoulder at his friend. “Your manager said not to see anyone,” Adam continued, keeping his voice hushed. Blinking at the younger man for a few seconds, Blake then obligingly turned back to the door and ducked his head to look out the peephole before turning back to the man practically hugging the wall.

“It’s my manager. Can I open the door now?” 

Without waiting for permission Blake opened the door and looked down into the very unhappy face of his manager. The much smaller man pushed past him, shoving the door shut behind him. His dark eyes swept the room, taking everything in and raking over Adam before settling on Blake and uttering those dreaded four words.

“We need to talk.”


	4. Answers

“You want to explain to me exactly what happened last night?” The quiet tone was deadly calm but ominous enough to make Blake pause before answering. 

“What do you mean?” he ventured cautiously. Better to play safe.

The look of frustration was clear.

“Do you even remember what you did?” The exasperation and tension that lined the face of Blake’s manager was the sign to both singers not to play games.

“No,” Blake answered honestly, watching his manager’s whole body droop in response. With a sigh Brandon indicated that they should sit and all but collapsed on to Blake’s bed. The country star slowly lowered himself next to him, exchanging wary looks with Adam, who sat down on the edge of his own bed.

“I received a message. It stated that the sender had proof that the two of you had got married and that unless you pay a million dollars, each, then they will release the information and photos that they have to the press.” Brandon paused to glance at the ring on Adam’s hand and Blake’s bare finger. “Did you get married?”

Blake scratched the back of his neck and looked towards Adam. Heaving a deep breath, he pulled the ring out of his pocket where he’d slipped it and handed it to his manager. “We don’t honestly know. But we both woke up wearing these.”

Brandon immediately examined the ring before looking back up at the silent men. “You don’t remember anything at all?” His face was carefully blank. Adam, who was clearly leaving all the talking to the bigger man, said nothing.

“We had dinner then went to a bar. We sorta had a drinking competition and neither of us remembers anything after that,” Blake confessed. His manager nodded, still holding the ring in his hand.

“Either of you checked your wallets for credit card receipts?”

Stunned, Adam and Blake looked at each other. In retrospect, it was such an obvious thing to do, but what with their hangovers and general confusion, the thought hadn’t crossed either of their minds. Simultaneously, both began rummaging for their wallets and digging through them. “I’ve got nothing,” Adam declared, breaking his silence and looking expectantly towards Blake.

“Well neither have I. Maybe we paid cash?” 

“You didn’t pay cash,” Brandon stated flatly.

“Well who’s to say we actually got married at all? Maybe we were given the rings. Someone playing on the whole bromance thing.” Blake was starting to feel frustrated.

His manager gave him a look that clearly expressed his low opinion on that theory and patiently explained. “Blake, no one would give you these rings, you must have bought them. They’re platinum and they cost a fortune.”

Blake’s jaw dropped and Adam stared at his ring with wide eyes. “Are you sure?” 

Brandon’s eyes softened in sympathy. “Yes, you can tell from the weight. You really don’t remember anything at all?” Both men mutely shook their heads. Giving a nod of his head, Brandon took charge. “Well, let’s look at this logically. At some point you left the bar, bought some wedding rings and possibly got married.”

“Possibly?” Adam interrupted, seizing on the word, hope blooming in his eyes. 

Blake’s manager held up his hand in warning. “I’m just saying that we don’t have absolute proof at the moment. There is a chance, however small, that you just bought the rings. But that means that there should be at least one witness to that and, if you got married, then there’d be witnesses to that too. We don’t know who’s trying to blackmail you or what proof they have, but it’s a good bet that it’s one of those people.” The singers digested that, the word ‘blackmail’ reminding them of the reason for Brandon’s visit.

“Well, what does it matter anyway?” Blake said finally. “Even if we did get married, we were drunk. We’ll just get it annulled and carry on with our lives.” The cowboy’s matter of fact approach helped Adam not to panic. He opened his mouth to speak but his phone pinged, making him look down instead. 

Then Blake’s phone pinged too. 

And didn’t stop. 

Both phones began making continuous sounds and, as Brandon’s joined in, there was a loud knock at the door. All the men stared, holding their phones in their hands, but it was Blake’s manager who leapt up and ran to it. Peering through the peephole, he quickly opened the door and ushered in a stocky man with short hair.

“I think it just got leaked.” Brandon spoke over the chorus from the phones to the new arrival.

“Don’t respond to anyone and don’t answer your phone,” Adam’s manager instructed, ignoring his own ringing phone. “Check online and see what’s there.”

The room was now filled with men anxiously checking their phones and reporting in when they found something.

“I got something,” Blake announced tersely. “A photo.” He showed the image to the others. It was a slightly dark and blurry photo that still clearly showed a rather dishevelled looking Adam draped over an equally dishevelled looking Blake emerging from The Little Wedding chapel. 

“I got a tweet.” Adam’s voice was short and clipped. “It says, _‘Picked up my marriage licence from Clark County Marriage Bureau minutes before it closed. Only other couple in there were @adamlevine and @blakeshelton. Congratulations guys!’”_

“Well at least that gives us a rough timeline,” Adam’s manager said. “The marriage bureau is only open until midnight,” he explained in answer to the questioning looks he received.

“Another photo.” Blake sounded tense. This photo showed him carrying Adam bridal style next to a cab.

Slowly, a picture of the night before emerged. People commented that they had seen them at the bar and that they had both seemed happy and not shy about being physical. Only a few photos had surfaced, more from the bar than afterwards. It appeared that after Adam had been copiously sick, Blake had picked him up and carried him to a cab. It wasn’t clear if they had already decided to get married and that was why Blake was carrying Adam bridal style or if the position had led them to decide that it was a good idea. Either way, from the timings mentioned, it seems they went straight from the bar to the marriage bureau, got a licence and then went straight to The Little Wedding chapel and got married. The congratulations were pouring in and the media was desperately trying to get hold of them or their managers for a comment. 

Brandon groaned and held a hand to his forehead. “This is a PR nightmare.” 

Ashley looked from the pale face of his client to that of the country star before addressing the other manager. “Well, it’s done. Look on the bright side, the blackmailer has no leverage now so we don’t have to worry about that. Instead we just have to plan a strategy moving forward.”

“Moving forward? Getting it annulled is the first thing,” Blake said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“That’s not going to happen,” Ashley stated firmly.

“What?” Adam asked incredulously. “What do you mean that’s not going to happen?”

“You are not getting this marriage annulled. Have you any idea at all what message that would send? The backlash would be detrimental to your career. You’re just going to have to make it work, at least for a little while. Brandon and I will plan a strategy moving forward and you _will_ abide by it.”

Blake stared slack jawed at the shorter man. “Are you insane? This is crazy.”

Ashley began discussing tactics with Brandon, heads bent together and blatantly ignoring both singers. 

“Hey!” Blake was now annoyed. “It ain’t gonna happen. We are not staying married!”

This time it was his manager who addressed him. “Well you should have thought about that before you did something so idiotic. How many times have I told you that eventually you’re going to do something that I can’t get you out of and you’re just going to have to live with the consequences? Well, this is that something. So man up, accept that this is a result of your actions and deal with the fallout.” He nodded at Ashley and continued. “We’re going to do our best to minimise any impact on your careers but you have to trust us to do our jobs and not try to fuck things up even more. Just do as you’re told for once in your life Blake. We didn’t create this problem but we’re trying to solve it.”

Well and truly put in his place, Blake couldn’t find a response. Adam could. “But I don’t want to be married to him,” he piped up petulantly.

“Tough.” Ashley was just as unsympathetic as his associate. “This isn’t just on Blake. You were just as much a partner in this.”

Two stunned singers sat there while their managers planned out the next few hours and days of their lives. Adam couldn’t stop looking down at the ring on his finger. Every time he tore his eyes away he found them drawn back to the bit of metal. He found himself looking at Blake’s naked finger and couldn’t figure out why it was upsetting him more than his own decorated one. Blowing out an annoyed breath, he picked up his phone once more. They’d all long ago put their phones on silent and Adam was gobsmacked to see the sheer volume of missed calls, texts and notifications. Idly he flicked through them.

Blake observed the rock star going through his phone and ignoring everyone in the room. The country star was still in shock over the sudden turn of events and couldn’t understand how he was in this position. How was this his reality? “Couldn’t we just say it was a stunt for The Voice?” he suggested, still trying to find a way back to normality. There was no response from either manager and Blake voiced it again, loud enough to get their attention.

“No, Blake. Accept it. You’re not getting a divorce.” Brandon seemed annoyed at the interruption.

“It’s not a divorce, it’s an annulment,” Blake protested sullenly. He was rewarded with a look and then the managers were back to their plotting. Blake gave an enormous sigh and decided that he was no longer a fan of Vegas. Or Adam. Or the internet. Within six seconds he’d disregarded that last one and picked up his phone to check it. Overall, it seemed that the general consensus from the fans was, what took you so long? He couldn’t see how this situation could be managed.

“Alright,” Brandon eventually announced. “We’re going to release a statement to the media and then we have to work out how to get you back to LA and move Blake in to Adam’s place.”

“What?!” The singers spoke simultaneously.

“I’m not-“ Blake was cut off as his manager continued.

“Yes, you are. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, you’re newlyweds and deliriously happy. Filming for The Voice starts on Monday and we’ll need to be prepared for that. Until then, stay in the house, don’t talk to anyone and remember, you’re madly in love.” With that he handed Blake his ring and gestured for him to put it on. 

Blake held that tiny bit of metal and hesitated. Was he really going to do this? He looked into the eyes of his friend, the same feelings of panic and shock reflected there, and realised that he had no choice. He slipped the ring back on to his finger and knew only one thing for certain. Life was about to change.


	5. Honey, I'm Home

Blake stood with his arm around Adam’s waist, hugging him close to his side. He pressed a soft kiss to his husband’s temple and smiled. The two of them walked off with careless grins and a quick wave to the parting cameras and journalists before rounding the corner and heading to their trailer.

As soon as they were out of sight, Adam pulled away from Blake with a scowl. He stomped on ahead and went straight for the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water and viciously twisting the lid off. The taller man followed at a slightly more leisurely pace, closing the door and dropping heavily onto the sofa, giving the tattooed man a strange look.

“What’s your problem?” he asked. The rock star just glowered back at him. “What?” Blake drawled. Adam banged his water down on the worktop and let rip.

“What’s my problem? _You_. You’re my problem. This whole thing is just dumb. Not only do we have to act like idiots whenever we’re within twenty feet of each other, not only do we have to live in the same goddamned house but we also have to share the same fucking trailer! I can’t get away from you. I can’t have five fucking minutes to myself. I can’t, I can’t-“ Adam almost growled in frustration, so wound up that he couldn’t even articulate how he was feeling.

“If we had separate trailers, what sort of message would that send?” Blake sat back, his calm, relaxed manner serving only to infuriate Adam more. 

“That we can spend more than five minutes apart?” the rock star returned sarcastically. 

“You know what our managers said. We have to keep the act up for just a little while until they can set it up so we can split without damaging our careers.”

“I’m not gonna make it. I can’t take this.” Adam picked up his water again and flopped a few feet from where his husband sat. Blake ignored the dramatics and pulled out his phone. The smaller man threw his head back and tried to breathe slowly and deeply. He didn’t know how to escape from this surreal situation he’d found himself in. He thought back over the past couple of weeks. 

Somehow, their managers had managed to get them back to LA with little hysteria, mainly due to private jets and the dead of night, and the two of them had been pretty much trapped in the house ever since. Blake’s things were brought round, making Adam complain about his stuff and insist he kept everything in his room. The bigger man hadn’t objected, recognising that Adam was just frustrated at the situation, but he’d been very quiet. A quiet Blake wasn’t normal and it set Adam on edge. 

The atmosphere at home was awkward and the rock star was relieved when Monday rolled around and they could finally leave the house and go somewhere. 

Except, being at The Voice turned out to be much, much worse. They were forced to act as a married couple and everyone just expected them to be glued to each other. Permanently. They also had the usual cycle of promotional work and interviews and now he and Blake just _had_ to be together. All interviewers had been prepped and there were no direct questions about the marriage, but they were still fielding a lot of indirect questions and that, along with the required display of married bliss, was all just so draining.

The strange thing was, it’s not like they hadn’t lived together before. When Blake got divorced he spent months living with Adam. But that was nothing like this. It was easy. They weren’t married then. Even though in the privacy of their own home they could just be themselves and didn’t have to pretend, it didn’t seem to matter. Everything was different. He didn’t understand why, but it was. Adam was just so confused. He couldn’t seem to get his head together.

At least the Blinds were filmed before they went to Vegas. Spending ten hours a day just a few chairs along from Blake and having to present a loving facade to the cameras would have been too much to handle. At least preparing for the Battles meant that they spent more time apart, although they were still expected to spend as much time as possible together showing a united front and, of course, the constant stream of promo work and interviews where they had to act like the perfect couple. Adam was finding it harder and harder. He might be more obvious with his frustrations, and Blake might seem to be taking it completely in his stride, but Adam could see the strain around his husband’s eyes. He wasn’t the only one finding their new living arrangements challenging.

Still, Adam found himself starting arguments with Blake for no reason and he didn’t know why. Life had become a strain and Adam knew he wasn’t helping but couldn’t seem to make himself stop. He thought that he might be able to handle it if only he got some time to himself. If he just had his own trailer and didn’t have to spend every spare second with Blake. They no longer sought each other out, in fact they often looked for ways to avoid each other. This marriage was ruining his friendship with Blake.

Adam’s gloomy thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door and, with his mind still troubled, he led the way out and back to work.

After his last session of the day was finished, Adam made his way back to the trailer and found Blake already there. Grunting in acknowledgement they collected their things to head home. Adam was half way to the car when he bumped into Carson.

“Hey Adam,” the show’s host greeted him with a smile. “Off home?”

“Yeah,” Adam sighed. 

“Long day?” Carson asked inquisitively at his friend’s low mood.

“Yeah, and about to get longer,” the rock star responded grumpily. Blake came up behind him, catching this last comment.

“Ah, don’t worry Adam, we can get takeout and you can take a nice relaxing bubble bath,” the country star said, sliding his arm around the other Voice coach’s shoulder and pulling him close. Adam grimaced and tried to step away but the taller man held him firm. Adam turned his head to say something but his husband didn’t break eye contact with Carson. “See you tomorrow buddy.”

Blake walked off, his grip unrelenting, forcing Adam to keep pace with him. Only once they were approaching the car did Blake loosen his hold. “What the hell was that all about?” Adam demanded, twisting away and glaring at the bigger man.

“Our managers said we have to keep the act up at all times,” Blake said, opening the passenger door. “The more people who know the truth, the more likely that someone will tell,” he recited, somewhat sarcastically, sick to death of hearing that mantra.

“Carson’s our friend. He knows us. He knows that we wouldn’t suddenly decide to get married. He must know that this is all bull.” Adam was still furious. Blake slid into the passenger seat and shut the door, not deigning to respond. Adam got in his side and carried on. “Since when do you follow the rules like a good little boy?”

Blake sighed. “I’m just trying to do the right thing.” He leant his head back and tried to keep calm and ignore the antagonistic jibes. He was so sick of all this arguing.

“Yeah? Well you should have-“ Adam was cut off by Blake’s phone ringing and the country star answering it. Adam was left fuming but without an outlet to release it. A small part of his brain acknowledged the tired voice of the man sitting next to him and the way he was slumped, nothing like the cheerful, upbeat friend he was used to, but it just made him feel worse. 

Blake finally hung up as the other coach pulled into their driveway and feeling too worn out to do anything other than sleep he dragged himself through the door. He was about to head upstairs to his room when his husband chose this moment to continue their interrupted argument. 

“Don’t do that again, Blake,” the rock star warned, making the country singer turn to face him.

“Do what?” Blake had no clue what the smaller man was talking about.

“You know what!” Adam asserted.

“If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked!” Blake snapped, finally losing his patience.

Adam paused for a moment so that Blake could fully appreciate the glare he was sending his way. “Don’t butt in when I’m talking to Carson.”

His husband looked at him in disbelief. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll leave you to blow our whole cover next time.” Sarcasm dripped from every word.

Every muscle in Adam’s body tensed and his hands formed involuntary fists by his sides. It pushed his fingers against the band of metal circling his ring finger and tipped him over the edge. “This is _your_ fault.” he bit out.

“ _My_ fault?” Blake squawked.

“You were the one who got me drunk with that drinking competition.”

“I don’t remember forcing the liquor down your throat,” Blake returned heatedly.

“You don’t remember anything.”

“Well neither do you!” the cowboy shot back.

“I remember you goaded me into it.”

“Oh, really?” Blake questioned mockingly.

“Yes!” Adam furiously responded. “You kept going on about Chloe and how that made six wins, double me. What was I supposed to do?”

“Say no? You’re a big boy Adam, don’t try and pin this all on me. Stop acting like a diva.” It was possibly the worst thing he could have said to the infuriated man. 

“You know why I think you want to go along with this?” Adam’s voice had gone tight and deadly quiet. “Because it’s the only way you’re going to be married again. No one else could live with you and deal with your shit.”

Blake paled and pressed his lips together. Without another sound he turned and headed up to his room. Adam knew the second those words left his lips that he’d gone too far. “Blake!” he called, trying desperately to find a way to take them back, to undo the hurt that had covered the other man’s face, but a slamming door was his only response.

Dammit, why had he said that? He didn’t mean it and knew that he might have just crossed a line from which he could never return. All the tension now gone, Adam felt wearier than ever. His appetite well and truly lost, he made his way upstairs and paused outside Blake’s door. He lifted his hand to knock and apologise but thought better of it. He didn’t want to make things any worse.

Getting ready for bed, Adam couldn’t stop berating himself. Why couldn’t he have just controlled his traitorous mouth for once? He curled up under the covers and pressed his head against the pillow. Why was everything so wrong? Even if their managers somehow managed to get this situation sorted out, would they ever get their friendship back? After what just happened, Adam wasn’t sure. If this carried on much longer then he didn’t think they would ever be able to repair it and somehow, that hurt more than anything. 

Adam thought of the man lying in the next room and knew how much he must be hurting right now. Adam was there for him when his last marriage broke down and had done everything in his power to help. They had made it through some of Blake’s darkest days and their friendship had become stronger because of it. Adam couldn’t imagine not having his friend in his life and, as he tried to, he found that he couldn’t even breathe. He pressed a hand to his chest to try and stop the burning and turned his face to push it deep into the pillow. He had to fix this. He had to. The question was, how? And unfortunately, Adam didn’t have the slightest idea.


	6. Sleeping It Off

Exhausted, Adam trudged back to his trailer on The Voice set. He loved his team but preparing for the Battles was always difficult. Each season he tried to pair artists together to make an amazing performance but sometimes you got a pair that just made you tingle. You watched their rehearsal and it made you want to leap up cheering and then you’d remember that you were the one who was going to have to send one of these amazing people home. It sucked. And Adam’s last pairing of the day had been just such a couple. He’d been bouncing off the walls when he was giving them feedback not more than ten minutes ago, but now his mind was a maelstrom of thoughts and panic over what the hell he was going to do when they performed for real. How was he going to choose between them? How could he be the one to let one of them go? To say he was tired was an understatement.

Gathering his things, Adam traipsed off in the direction of his car, thinking nothing more than how good it would feel to collapse onto his sofa, turn on some TV and do nothing for the next few hours. Calling goodbye to the crew members he passed, it took Adam a second to realise that there was someone alongside him. 

“You look half asleep there buddy,” Carson laughed. 

“Man, I’m sorry, I was a million miles away," the rock star apologised. "You heading off too?”

“Yeah, looking forward to a quiet evening,” the show’s host confessed.

“Me too,” Adam sighed.

Carson clapped him on the shoulder as they turned in different directions. “Don’t worry, Blake will take care of you,” he said as they parted.

Adam gritted his teeth and grimaced. Right. Blake. He’d somehow managed to forget about that. Things were a little better now that they had adjusted their work schedules. Blake went for the earliest rehearsal slots and Adam the latest. There was occasionally a slight overlap but on the whole they didn’t see much of each other during the day. At home they tended to ignore each other unless there was a specific need to communicate. 

They had a tenuous truce after The Incident. Adam had tried to apologise, stumbling over his words in a desperate bid to erase the hurt that he’d caused, but Blake had brushed it off with a muttered, “It’s fine.” It clearly wasn’t. Adam wasn’t sure what else he could do. You could only apologise so many times and he was past walking around on tiptoes anymore. Now he was mostly back to irritation at having his living space invaded, although he kept his mouth firmly shut this time, and they stayed out of each other’s way. 

Adam missed the easy camaraderie that he and Blake used to share. The warm hugs and casual touches that Adam was used to had all but disappeared. Occasionally, when other people were around and they still had to pretend, then he’d get an arm across his shoulders, but it wasn’t the same. Adam got in his car and drove home, still brooding on the situation. He was fed up with feeling crap, he was fed up with having to pretend, he was fed up with being married, he was fed up with losing his best friend, he was fed up with _everything_.

Tired and irritable, Adam wanted nothing more than to flop down onto his sofa and relax. Walking into the lounge he discovered the entire sofa taken up by a six foot five inch cowboy who was stretched out upon it. Adam was not in the mood to deal with this shit right now.

“Blake. Move.” The surly tone clearly indicated that Adam wasn’t to be trifled with. The cowboy didn’t move a muscle. Adam shoved Blake with his knee and tried again.

“Blake!”

Nothing.

“If you don’t move, I’m just going to lie on you.”

Still nothing.

Letting out a big huff of annoyance, Adam not so carefully flopped down and spread himself out on the taller man. Aside from a small _'oof'_ Blake still didn’t open his eyes or react in any way other than to rearrange himself slightly and put his arms around the smaller man lying on top of him. Adam wriggled, trying to annoy Blake enough that he would just move and let Adam relax in peace. It was bad enough having to share his living space with the man, couldn’t he just let him have five minutes to himself?

Blake was back to not responding at all and Adam let out yet another huff of annoyance. He thumped his head down onto the bigger man’s shoulder and shut his eyes. How had his life come to this? He was stuck in this weird nightmare where somehow he was bound to this frustrating man and there seemed to be nothing that he could do about it. Why? What had he done to deserve this? He wriggled once more, half heartedly still trying to annoy Blake into moving. Instead, the arms around him tightened briefly and the chest beneath him continued to rise and fall in time to the deep breaths that ghosted over Adam’s skin. Cursing Blake, because all of this was obviously all his fault, Adam’s plan to relax watching TV was well and truly dashed. He sighed once more in frustration and unconsciously settled into a more comfortable position. Why couldn’t he just have five minutes to himself? 

His muscles gradually relaxed as the warmth from Blake’s body seeped in and Adam’s mind began to slow its troubled thoughts. Sinking even further into Blake’s surprising comfortable embrace, Adam’s thoughts faded away completely as he drifted off to join his husband in slumber.

Waking up a couple of hours later, all Adam was aware of at first was a feeling of contentment. He felt so warm, comfortable and relaxed he didn’t want to move. He reluctantly opened his eyes and was forced to remember exactly where he was. And who he was lying on. Crap. He knew that he should get up but he was just so _comfortable_ and Blake’s arms were so _warm_ and just felt so _nice_ , Adam literally couldn’t bring himself to move. God, he missed this. Missed the old Blake, the old relationship they had when they were so at ease with each other. Why had everything changed? Their friendship had come as easily as breathing and, as Adam snuggled even closer into Blake’s neck breathing in his scent, he finally felt like himself again. He relaxed further into his husband’s warmth and had the fleeting thought that if time could just stop right now, then he’d be totally okay with that. 

Adam was just starting to doze off again when Blake’s arms tightened around him and he began to move. Adam panicked, unsure whether to acknowledge that he was awake and had stayed in Blake’s arms or to pretend to still be asleep. He made the mistake of looking at Blake just as the bigger man opened his eyes. For a moment they simply stared at each other then Blake closed his eyes again and mumbled, “What time is it?” Adam moved his hand from where it lay against his husband’s chest and glanced at his watch. He answered Blake whilst moving his hand back to its previous position. The country star hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t move. Now Adam was confused. Were they just going to stay here? Was he supposed to do something? Or say something? Why was Blake not reacting to the fact that Adam was lying on top of him? The thought crossed the smaller man’s mind that perhaps Blake was drunk. As far as Adam knew, neither of them had touched a drop since that fateful day in Vegas, but the rock star also knew that this was probably the longest period of time that Blake had been teetotal for years, maybe decades. He surreptitiously tried to smell the other coach’s breath to see if his theory was correct but Blake took that moment to speak.

“How were rehearsals today?”

Adam twisted his head to look at his husband but Blake’s eyes were still closed. Adam sighed as he tucked his head back down and thought over the day.

“OK, I guess.” His voice was subdued. The rock star felt Blake move his head to look at him and tipped his head back too. Those bright blue eyes were looking at him and Adam could see the concern in them.

“What happened?” Blake seemed genuinely worried. 

Adam felt the corners of his mouth pull down and he leant up slightly, crossing his arms on the broad chest he was lying on and lifting his head to face his friend. “Just two of my artists. You know my punk rock pair?” Blake nodded. “They’re amazing. Brilliant. I honestly think it’s going to be one of the best performances we’ve ever seen. They’re incredible.” 

Adam still looked miserable and Blake was confused. “And that makes you sad?” he ventured. 

Adam raised troubled hazel eyes to meet with concerned blue ones. “Yeah. Because I’m going to have to send one of them home.” The confusion cleared and Blake automatically tightened his arms around his friend. He knew that feeling all too well and it sucked. 

“Maybe they’ll get stolen.” He tried to comfort the unhappy man but Adam was already shaking his head. 

“My pair are the first to perform. Kelly’s already said that she wants one of your country girls and Alicia is desperate for that soul kid. Neither of them are going to suddenly steal the first artist up for grabs in case their preferred one comes up.” Adam’s mood sunk lower as he thought about it. “And I know you want that kid you were blocked from having, you’ve made no bones about that.” he added.

Blake wasn’t sure what to say to try and make Adam feel better. Everything he’d said was true. “They’re both really that good?” he asked gently. His husband nodded sadly and brought his chin down to rest on his arms, mouth still pulled down. “You can’t let it consume you, Adam. You never know what will happen on the night. There’s been so many times that I was so sure I knew who I’d pick and it got switched. Or when I was convinced I’d never be able to choose but seeing them perform it became clear.” He squeezed the smaller man again. “You can’t let it get to you.”

Adam sighed and nodded again. He knew his husband was right but he didn’t actually feel any happier. 

“C’mon, it’s late. We should probably go upstairs and sleep in actual beds.” Blake’s voice was gentle as he cajoled Adam into moving. The rock star rolled off of the bigger man and stood up, stretching. Blake followed suit and they both made their way upstairs. Just before they went off in different directions Blake turned back and put his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Don’t stress over it. And I know that’s like telling a fish not to swim but just try, ok?” 

Adam gave a rueful grin. “I can’t promise, but I’ll try.” The hand on his shoulder gave a squeeze before moving off.

“Night,” Blake murmured.

“Night,” Adam echoed as he went to get ready for bed.

Huddled under the covers the rock star shivered. He couldn’t seem to get warm tonight. He wrapped his arms around himself and curled up even tighter, thinking through his day. What a roller coaster of emotions. But on the bright side, tonight had been the first real conversation he and Blake had shared since Vegas. He still felt awful about The Incident but maybe life didn’t have to be so difficult. Tonight felt like a step in the right direction. Everything with Blake over the past weeks had felt so forced, not natural at all, but tonight had felt like old times. Adam shivered again and wondered how much longer they were going to have to keep up this ruse. He really wanted his friendship back.

Rolling onto his other side, Adam missed his husband’s warmth. Who would have thought that Blake would be so comfy to sleep on? He could still feel the phantom weight of Blake’s arms wrapped around him, his heartbeat in his ear and his gentle breath ruffling his hair. Maybe Adam should use him as a pillow more often, it would certainly help him when his mind wouldn’t let him sleep. Adam huffed a laugh and finally relaxed enough to fall back to sleep. His last thought was that if ever his husband wanted to retire he could definitely be successful in a new career. Blake Shelton, Official Pillow.


	7. Feeling The Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay in posting, my laptop broke :o( I'm using my Dad's computer to post this. The next one or two chapters might be a little delayed, I'm so sorry.

The party was in full swing. The Voice crew used any excuse for a party but this one was deserved. They’d made it through all the pre-recorded shows and now they’d all have some time off before the live shows started. Most of the coaches took this time to go on tour, record new songs, spend time with their families or all three. Both Adam and Blake were going on tour and it would be the first time that they spent any time apart since they had gone to Vegas during the last hiatus.

The rock star forced a grin as the eighteenth person that night asked him how he was going to cope being away from his husband. Reeling in the instant retort of _‘fucking fine’_ he instead gave his by now standard response. “We’re both used to spending time away from our loved ones, it’s not like we didn’t know it was going to happen. We’ll be just fine.” He forced another grin through gritted teeth and excused himself. 

Moving off to the side, Adam saw Blake loitering in the shadows and made his way over to him. They shared a look, acknowledging the soft drinks both held in their hands, and the taller man ducked his head as Adam began speaking to him.

“Has everyone lost their minds? You’d think no married couple had ever been apart before.”

Blake’s mouth quirked into a grin. “You getting hassle over the fact that we’re not gonna be joined at the hip anymore?” Adam shot him a dirty look and the other Voice coach guffawed. “Why do you think I’m hiding over here? It’s like they’ve never heard of anything so outrageous.”

Adam looked up at his husband. “You looking forward to going on tour?”

“’Course, same as you. It’s what we do.”

“Yeah,” Adam agreed. But for some reason he wasn’t looking forward to it as much as usual. He’d thought he was, but the excitement that usually built up to an explosive level simply wasn’t there. He was definitely looking forward to it, but there was just something not the same. 

Adam leaned back against the wall, feeling Blake’s warmth radiating into him. He told himself that there was no point going back out into the crowd as he’d just get hassled again. Much safer to stay here next to Blake. Besides, he wasn’t going to see the man for months. Not that he had a problem with that. He’d been looking forward to time away from him for what felt like forever. He just couldn’t take any more stupid questions. He couldn’t wait for some time on his own.

Except, weeks later and now in the middle of his tour, when Adam was laying in bed in yet another strange hotel room, he couldn’t stop thinking about how much he wished someone else was there. The tour was going amazingly well and when Adam came off stage he was on a massive high, as always. But once the band all headed back to their own hotel rooms, it was lonely. It was always like this, but for some reason, this tour he was feeling it so much more. Adam was unsettled, he turned from one side to another and then rolled onto his back and threw out his arms with a sigh. Giving up on sleep he opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling in the darkness. Why couldn’t he relax? He tucked his arms back under the covers, pulling them up to his chin. He was always cold at night lately. 

The singer turned once more and curled up on his side again, forcing himself to close his eyes and attempt to trick his body into going to sleep. They had a break in the tour coming up and Adam was relishing the thought of having his house all to himself, No annoying cowboy getting in the way. Just him. He couldn’t wait. He would finally be able to relax enough to get a decent night’s sleep. 

When that break did come though, just a couple of weeks later, there was no relaxing and no decent night’s sleep. Adam found himself lying in bed huddled under the covers, as was now usual, wondering why he was still awake. This was ridiculous. He was just so _tired_. He’d gone to bed early tonight as well. Why couldn’t he just warm up and fall asleep? 

Letting out a massive sigh of frustration, Adam threw the covers back and decided that he knew just the thing to get warm. He padded downstairs and grabbed a bottle of tequila and a glass. He hadn’t touched a drop since that night in Vegas but screw it.

Umpteen shots later and Adam still wasn’t warm. He was pretty unsteady on his feet, but he still wasn’t fucking warm. Clutching the bottle and glass he staggered back towards his bedroom. Unfortunately, his balance was more than just a little off. Veering violently to the side at the top of the stairs he couldn’t quite catch himself without dropping what he was carrying. He bumped against a door and fell heavily, ending up sitting in a heap on the floor. 

Blinking, Adam inspected his glass, thankful that he’d downed his shot before retreating upstairs. He carefully placed the bottle and glass down and looked around. This wasn’t his bedroom. Frowning, Adam tried to focus. He was cold. He wanted to be warm. He crawled over to the cupboard and reached in, grabbing the first thing that felt warm. Pulling out a red flannel shirt Adam decided it would do. Lurching to his feet with the aid of the cupboard he headed to his bedroom, only bumping into a few walls on the way.

The singer collapsed onto his bed and shook out the red garment. Ah, a shirt. Looked warm. Adam wrestled it on. Hmm, it was awfully big. He wrapped it around himself. He couldn’t stop thinking about how alone he was. And how much he hated it. It was only to be expected, he reasoned, he was used to having someone around now. Only logical. 

Blake. 

Adam couldn’t help but smile when he thought of him. Blake had forgiven him, he knew that now. He’d never actually come out and said it of course, but Adam _knew_. The drunk singer let his mind drift back to the Battles all those weeks ago. His punk rockers had indeed opened the first show and Adam had been proven one hundred percent correct. They were incredible. He’d been so torn between elation, pride and devastation. He’d raved about them, the other coaches had raved about them, and then he’d had to send one of them home. Literally, the hardest decision he’d ever made on this show in all fourteen seasons. 

In the end he’d gone with the singer he felt he’d connected more to, but watching the utterly brilliant, talented artist who he’d just chosen to send home thank him for the opportunity and then walk off that stage to say goodbye to the coaches, he’d hated himself. He couldn’t have hidden his distraught expression if he’d tried. 

And then he’d heard that precious sound and Carson’s over excited voice, “We’ve got a steal!” Adam’s jaw had dropped and he’d looked over to see Blake clapping and looking right at him, the floor leading to his chair all lit up. Adam couldn’t breathe. Blake had done that for him. He’d given up the chance of getting the artist he’d really wanted, for him. 

Adam had found himself walking over to Blake, throwing his arms around him and just holding on. The country singer had ducked his head into the crook of Adam’s neck and just squeezed him tight. Adam had no idea how long they’d stayed like that but eventually the noise from the audience and Carson’s persistent calling of their names had broken through. He’d pulled back slightly, looked into Blake’s blue, blue eyes and then kissed him soundly on the cheek. He’d been _so_ thankful. He couldn’t even say the words but he knew that Blake had seen it in his eyes. That’s when he’d known that Blake had forgiven him and that their friendship was still there. That nothing, _nothing_ could break it. 

Now, collapsed on his bed and grinning fondly at his memories, his thoughts still swimming in alcohol, Adam wondered how Blake’s tour was going. He hadn’t seen or heard from him for weeks now. Maybe he should text him. Yeah, that was a good idea. The brunet fumbled for his phone and squinted at the screen. He typed out a quick message and hit ‘send’. God he was tired. Adam clambered under the covers and curled up, wrapped in his giant red shirt. He breathed in deeply. Smelt nice. And it was warm. He _finally_ felt warm. The shirt was a great idea. Adam snuggled into it and sighed. Surrounded by his husband’s scent, he was asleep in moments.

Hours later, his phone going off shattered his pleasant dreams. Reaching for it to stop the god awful noise Adam put one hand to his aching head and swiped with the other.

“What were you _thinking_?”

“Uh,” Adam was confused to say the least. Why was Blake phoning him? 

“Adam!” Blake didn’t sound very happy and Adam wasn’t sure this time why. 

“What?” the rock star groaned, wishing that the cowboy would just lower the volume a bit. There was a slight pause.

“Are you hungover?” Blake asked incredulously.

“What’s it to you?” Adam answered grumpily. 

“Adam, what happened?” Now Blake sounded concerned. It made Adam hold back his automatic retort. Why would Blake be concerned? Nothing had happened. He just couldn’t sleep. He relayed this to Blake but for some reason, the result was the cowboy going straight back to pissed. “So you just decided that life was a bit too quiet and you needed to liven things back up?” he asked sarcastically.

Adam was moving on from confused. Now he was starting to get pissed too. “What the fuck are you talking about, man?”

“Check your damn phone, jackass,” was the short-tempered response. Normally Adam would have a biting comeback but he wanted to know what the hell Blake was talking about so he checked his phone. Uh oh. That was a _lot_ of notifications. What the hell? 

Shit.

Now Adam had vague recollections of deciding to text Blake. Except, he hadn’t text Blake, he’d tweeted him. And his tweet had consisted of only two words. _Miss you_. 

Fuck.

No wonder his notifications were going mental. He put the phone back to his ear but he didn’t even know where to start. “Blake, man I’m sorry, I was drunk,” he tried.

“That’s what got us in to this mess in the first place.” The country singer was deeply unimpressed.

“Look, I’m sorry. I’ll delete it.” Adam attempted to placate his friend.

“Don’t!” Blake said forcefully. “Deleting it will make it worse.”

“Then what the hell do you want me to do?” Adam asked tiredly.

“I don’t know! I’m more concerned about what _I’m_ going to do. If I say it back then we can expect to go right back to when we first got married and all the dumbass questions surrounding that. And if I ignore it, you can bet your ass that the media will be saying we’re over. This isn’t good, Adam.” Blake was stressed. “Expect a call from Ashley. Brandon’s calling me, I gotta go.” 

Adam let his hand fall down to the covers and flopped back onto the pillows, closing his eyes. Fuck his life. After how far they’d come, Blake was now mad at him again and he had no one to blame but himself. 

Fuck. 

And he didn’t even get to ask how Blake’s tour was going. And now Blake hated him. Adam didn’t want to do this anymore. He brought the shirt up higher and buried his face in it.

His phone dinged. 

Squeezing his eyes shut, Adam didn’t want to know. He peered at his phone anyway. There was a tweet from Blake. 

_@adamlevine Miss you too dipshit._

Adam smiled.


	8. Warming Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, I'm back! Laptop is all repaired and I'm raring to go. Should be back to regular updates every few days, I'm so sorry about the delay! I've tweaked Chapter 7 ever so slightly.

A booming laugh rang out across the set and Adam instantly recognised it as his husband’s. A matching smile lit the rock star’s face as he made his way over and came up alongside the big man. Instinctively, Adam slid his arm around the country singer’s shoulders and, without missing a beat, Blake wrapped an arm around his waist in return. The Lives had started and the mood was high. Adam loved the live shows, well, except for the fact that things were out of his control and a certain someone kept winning. And considering how tense everything had been during the pre-recorded shows a few months ago, Adam didn’t think that he was the only one enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. He hadn’t heard Blake laugh in far too long and he’d forgotten how you just couldn’t help but feel your own mood lift when you did.

The Voice crew were tight knit and Adam had been really looking forward to seeing everyone. He’d finished his tour only a few days before they’d resumed filming and had got back to LA only half a day before Blake. Those few days before they’d both gone back to work had flown by. Adam had been so excited to find out how Blake’s tour had gone and his husband had seemed just as eager to hear about his. The two had stayed up late swapping stories and laughing, there’d been no awkwardness at all and it had been just like old times. Adam had just been so pleased to see Blake and simply spend time with him hanging out. It seemed the separation had done them good.

After their break in the middle, Maroon 5’s tour had finished on a high and Adam had even been sleeping. If he’d taken a certain red shirt along to the remaining part, it was just to keep him warm. It worked too. Except for right near the very end when it didn’t seem to work quite as well. Still, that would have been because he’d been excited to return to his own home and start working with his artists again. That was all.

And now he was deep in the zone. His artists were all still here, as were Blake’s. They’d actually been helping each other. Not on camera, of course, then they were hurling insults as usual, but in their trailer and at home. Blake and he had never really talked shop before when they had hung out but now that they lived together, it was kind of inevitable. And Adam felt partly responsible for Blake’s success. His husband had stolen his artist when he knew nothing about punk rockers and Adam was determined to make sure that he didn’t regret it. The frontman offered advice on songs, staging, everything and Blake gratefully accepted it. Adam, on the other hand, listened carefully to Blake’s suggestions and comments. There was a reason that the country star had won so many times and with such a variety of artists. Adam didn’t want to admit it, would never admit it out loud, but Blake was probably the best coach there was. 

After last season, when Adam had been so sure that he would win, but hadn’t, he’d done some research. Apart from Season 12, when Chris had been the very last artist to be chosen and had therefore had no option other than to be on Alicia’s team, Blake had turned for every single winner. Every single one. That was a hell of a record. And even with Chris, Blake had announced that he was going to win well before the Lives had started. The big man just had an ear for a winner and Adam was determined to figure out how he did it so that he could start beating him again. If Blake won this season, no one would ever hear the end of it. But for now, Adam was happy to just enjoy being on set and spending time chatting with the crew.

“Hey, when are you all going to New York to record the Today show?” Jamie, one of the runners, asked the tall country star.

“As if Blake would know!” Adam scoffed. “I swear, if he didn’t have someone to tell him what to do he would never be in the right place at the right time.” Blake gave the shorter man a wounded look but everyone laughed. Blake’s lack of organisational skills was well known. “We’re heading off straight after the results show,” Adam continued. “Coming back as soon as we finish. Shouldn’t cut into the rehearsal schedule too much.”

“Good thing he has someone to tell him what to do then,” joked Jamie, quirking his eyebrow at Adam. Everyone laughed and Adam felt his face flush. He hadn’t meant it that way but realised that he’d certainly implied it. Luckily, Blake just laughed and squeezed Adam to him.

“He’s an idiot,” the rock star mumbled, face still red.

“You love me,” the cowboy declared. Adam gave him a look in return but Blake just let out another booming laugh and bent to give his husband’s cheek a noisy kiss. 

“Ugh!” Adam squirmed as he tried to get out of Blake’s arms. “You are so gross!” Blake let go, laughing, and Adam made a show of wiping his cheek. His eyes were dancing with laughter but he kept up his disgusted face for the second or two it took to turn around. “I’m going back to work,” he announced loudly as he started walking away. “You’re going down this season, Cowboy!” 

Adam’s dignified exit was ruined when Blake’s voice followed him. “Now Adam, don’t talk about what we do at home in front of everyone.” The rock star went almost as red as the shirt he was wearing and raucous laughter rang in his ears as he left.

Blake was obviously in a playful mood as the banter continued over the next day or two into the live show and results. It felt just like old times and Adam revelled in it, the jibes coming thick and fast. The two traded insults and derogatory comments with glee and at the end of the day rode home together, both in good moods. Yet again all their artists had survived and it looked like it was shaping up to be an Adam and Blake final. The last time that had happened, Adam had gone into the final with three artists whilst Blake only had the one, but that one artist had won. The frontman was still sore about that and was determined that this time, his artist would be crowned the winner. 

They collected their bags from their house and were taken to the airport for the flight to New York. Arriving at the hotel very late at night, the Voice coaches were quickly shown to their rooms. Adam and Blake were, of course, sharing. They’d had strict instructions from their managers to play nice, not complain about sharing a room or a bed and had been reminded constantly that it was only for a few hours and no one could suspect that they weren’t happily married. Adam, naturally, grumbled good naturedly at Blake as they were being led to their room, complaining about his snoring.

“I don’t snore!” the big man said defensively. “You do.”

“How would you know? You always fall asleep first,” Adam retorted.

“Oh, I get it, pretend it’s all my fault. Is that how it’s going to be?”

The door was opened for them and they sorted themselves out, still tossing insults back and forth. Once left alone they both quickly got ready for bed, neither particularly looking forward to the early start. Adam griped about the bed situation. “I can’t believe I actually have to share a bed with you.”

“What? Worried you won’t be able to keep your hands off of me?” Blake shot back instantly.

Adam threw a pillow at his husband’s head. “You wish, dickhead.”

Blake just laughed and got under the covers. Not quite able to get rid of his smile, Adam climbed in his side and curled up. “Don’t keep me awake, I need my beauty sleep.”

“Nah, you’re already beautiful,” the country singer murmured sleepily. Adam couldn’t help the grin that threatened to split his face in half and pushed his head into the pillow to hide it.

But, as much as Adam had proclaimed his tiredness, his body was betraying him. Not only did he not drop off immediately, like he thought he would, but he was cold again. A shiver ran through him. Adam felt Blake turn over towards him. He tried to keep his body still. He didn’t want to wake Blake up. Turned out, Blake wasn’t asleep yet either. 

“You cold?” he asked quietly.

“No,” Adam replied, feeling stupid. It wasn’t cold in here. An arm reached out under the covers and a warm hand gently gripped his arm. He shivered again.

“Come here.” Blake sounded concerned.

“I’m fine.” Adam didn’t know why he was so cold.

“Adam.”

The rock star tried to think of what to say but had nothing. He was cold. He wanted to be warm. Fuck it.

Giving in, he turned over and pressed himself against Blake’s side, instantly feeling his husband’s body heat warm him up. Blake, to his credit, didn’t make any comment and just tucked Adam closer. “Night,” he murmured and settled down to sleep. Adam hummed and felt the last remaining chill disappear. He shuffled impossibly closer to the man he was lying next to and together they drifted off to sleep.

When the wake up call came through, Blake flung one long arm out to answer it. Hanging up, he forced heavy eyelids to open and looked down at the man lying practically on top of him. He smiled fondly at the mess of dark hair and gently ran his fingers through it. His husband muttered sleepily and turned his face further into Blake’s chest. Blake really didn’t want to move. He ran his hand through Adam’s hair once more and knew that they really didn’t have a choice.

“Adam?”

No response.

“Adam?”

This time he got a hum. Blake huffed a laugh. “C’mon Adam, we have to get up or we’re gonna be late.” The smaller man nodded but made no effort to move. “C’mon Adam.” Blake sounded amused but his tone also showed that it was time to get up. The rock star forced his eyes open with a grumble. “Man, you’re hard work in the mornings,” the country singer laughed. He gently rolled Adam off of him and hopped out of bed to get ready. Adam sighed and flung his arm over his eyes. It was too early to be coherent. He listened to his husband getting ready and knew that he had to get up. But he’d been so _warm_ and so _comfortable_ and Blake was so _selfish_ to take that heat away. With another pitiful sigh Adam finally threw off the covers to get ready too.

Despite Adam’s reluctance to get up, they made it to the show in plenty of time and their little segment on The Voice was going well. Blake, of course, was pointing out that he had won more than all the other coaches put together.

“Yeah, but I’ve won fifty per cent of the time that I’ve been on,” Alicia said smugly. “And when I win this season, that will go up to two thirds, which beats your percentage.”

“Yeah!” Adam crowed. He loved it when Blake got into it with the other coaches.

“You’ve won once,” the country singer drawled, holding up a single finger. “And the only reason you got Chris was because all of our teams were full. It was pure dumb luck.”

“Well, you are dumb, so you should know about that,” Adam interjected.

“Ignore him, he’s just jealous.” Blake didn’t even turn his head to look at his husband, knowing it was one of the quickest ways to wind him up.

“Well this is my first season and I’m gonna win.” Kelly sounded determined.

“A rookie has never won,” Blake drawled.

“Er…” Adam again interjected, pointing to himself. “Hello? First season? I was a rookie and I think you’ll find that I won that one.”

The bigger man rolled his eyes. “It was the first season. We were all rookies, that doesn’t count.”

“Still won though,” Adam smirked. “Rookie, but still won.”

“Yeah, and then I won the next three seasons,” Blake countered. “In a row.”

“And then didn’t even have an artist in the final of the next season!” Adam’s research was paying off. “Which _I_ won.”

One of the show’s hosts took over. “Interestingly, apart from that season, Season Five, Blake’s artists have _all_ won or come runner up. For all twelve other seasons.”

“Thank you,” Blake beamed. “I love you.” He turned his smug smile on Adam, who was scowling at him. “Y’see?” The country singer turned back to the show’s hosts. “He just hates it when I win. And he does a lot of hating because I do a lot of winning.” Adam spluttered, trying to think of a come back but the hosts were wrapping up their segment with a reminder of when the show was on before cutting to commercials.

The Voice coaches handed off their microphones, said their thanks and goodbyes to the hosts, and made their way down to the waiting cars to take them back to the airport. The boys continued bickering, even as they signed autographs and posed for photos.

“You two are so competitive,” Alicia remarked. “I mean, all the time.”

“Eventually he’ll realise that he can’t compete with me and then we’ll all be able to enjoy the peace and quiet,” Blake said as he ducked into the passenger seat.

“Dumb!” Adam said. “You are the dumbest person I know.” Blake’s laugh was swallowed up by the door closing. Adam got in and sat back. They were heading home and he couldn’t stop the grin that was spread across his face. He finally felt like everything was all good. Today had been a good day. He and Blake were friends again and everything was going to be okay. He just knew it.


	9. Trouble In Paradise

Arriving back at their home, Adam and Blake were still in good moods. They’d both slept on the plane and were rested and relaxed. They’d barely had time to sit down though when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” Blake said and ambled over to see who it was. Opening the door, he was greeted by the sight of both of their managers and they didn’t look happy.

“You couldn’t play along for just a few hours?” Brandon demanded. Ashley pushed past a confused Blake and stormed into the living room. 

“Why, Adam? Why?” Ashley’s voice was tinged with despair, as if he’d been betrayed.

Blake had followed the stressed man and shared a puzzled look with his husband. 

“Why what?” Adam was just as confused as Blake.

“Just a little while!” his manager clutched at his hair in pure frustration. “All we asked of you was to keep it going for just a little while!”

“Now hang on,” Blake wasn’t going to let someone have a go at his husband without knowing if it was deserved. “Neither of us has any idea what you’re talking about, so you want to explain it? Or you want to keep yelling at us?”

All three men stared at the tall cowboy before the two managers shared a look. Brandon turned back to Blake with forced calm and gestured to the sofa. “Let’s sit.” The two singers gave their managers wary glances and seated themselves next to each other. Letting out a sigh, Brandon sat down opposite and Ashley slowly followed suit. 

“Why didn’t you just stick to the _plan_?” Ashley started, obviously stating something that was of significance. Unfortunately, it made no sense to either Blake or Adam.

“What plan?” Blake asked, mystified. “The marriage thing? We’ve done everything you asked.” 

“What, like griping at each other non-stop?” Ashley scowled, now glaring at his client.

“We always do that.” Adam seemed just as confused as before. “That’s not anything new.”

“Well claims that your marriage is over are!” his manager shot back.

“The press has tried claiming we’re fighting for real before,” Blake interrupted. “There was no weight to it then and there’s no weight to it now. We’ve been really good. No arguing, no bitching, nothing.” Not in recent weeks, anyway.

“What about the hotel, Blake?” Brandon’s voice was heavy. “You had to make a big deal out of it? It was only one night.”

“What are you _talking_ about?” Blake was now frustrated. “I didn’t say anything!”

“Separate beds?” Ashley said. “You couldn’t share a bed for just one night?”

The Voice coaches screwed up their faces in identical bewilderment. “We _did_ share!” they exclaimed in unison. 

“OK,” Brandon decided that he would have to lead the conversation. “OK, let’s step back. The hotel in New York. You’re telling us that you shared a room? A room with one bed in it?” At the affirmative nods from both singers, the manager turned to his associate with a crease between his brows. “You think someone’s just making trouble?”

“I’m not sure,” Ashley murmured slowly, with an answering frown. “If it is, it’s very well planned. What would be the point?”

“Y’all want to let us in on the secret?” Blake was losing patience. A very unhappy Adam sat tense alongside him and the taller man unconsciously moved his leg to make more contact.

“You’ve pretty much been on a flight ever since you finished filming. Either of you turned your phones back on yet?” Brandon enquired, voice deliberately calm. 

The two Voice coaches looked at each other before simultaneously reaching for their phones.

“I guess not,” Brandon sighed.

“Don’t respond to anyone and don’t answer your phone,” Ashley warned as both devices came to life with a cacophony of sounds. 

“This is depressingly familiar,” Adam said sarcastically, switching the phone to silent. “What the hell happened?”

“Apparently, the two of you have hit a rough patch and it’s all falling apart,” Blake’s manager finally explained. “There’s numerous reports of constant arguing and bitter fighting. People are saying that it’s all over. There’s a quote from an anonymous source that the two of you requested separate beds at the hotel and that Blake has been seen without his wedding ring.”

Everyone automatically looked to the country singer with varying degrees of suspicion. “I haven’t taken it off!” he protested, stung by his husband’s accusatory glare.

“Well, I checked it out and the website says that proof will be posted later today,” Brandon announced.

“When the hell did all this happen?” Adam asked incredulously. “There wasn’t a hint of this on the show this morning.”

“Our phones started blowing up right about the time you took off,” Brandon sighed. “If someone planned it they literally could not have timed it better.”

“We were so close to getting this all worked out,” Ashley groaned. 

“You were?” his client asked surprised, looking to the silent man next to him to see if Blake had known this. 

“We have to find a way to contain this,” Ashley continued as if Adam hadn’t spoken. “We put out the usual denials but it’s already completely out of hand.”

“Well, what’s this proof?” the frontman asked. He again looked to the other Voice coach but the country singer was frowning and maintaining a stony silence, twisting his ring around his finger unhappily. “We definitely shared a room and there was definitely one bed.”

Brandon checked his phone, his brow furrowed. “The website doesn’t say, just that it has _‘indisputable proof that the so-called fairy tale romance between Voice coaches Blake Shelton and Adam Levine might not have a happy ever after._ ' They’ve added a lot more since I last checked it but the gist is that it’s over and that they’ve got proof which will be revealed shortly.”

Adam looked to his right once more. Why wasn’t Blake saying anything? “I don’t know what proof they can have. What site is this?” Blake’s manager gave the name and everyone in the room immediately had their heads bent over their phones. 

The sheer amount of evidence that the site had collected of their supposed troubles was staggering, and very convincing. There were a variety of reports, anecdotes, clips and of course the obligatory quotes from ‘a close friend’. It had been set out like a timeline, beginning with clips of interviews from the Voice set, straight after they’d got married. The site claimed that they looked ‘uncomfortable’ even then.

“Of course we looked uncomfortable!” Adam exploded. “We were having to sit through interview after interview where they were trying to question us about our marriage, even though they were banned from asking about it.” Conveniently leaving out that the two of them were barely talking at the time.

Blake said nothing.

Further down were reports that they had been spotted together in Adam’s car but that the two weren’t even looking at each other. There was even a grainy photo of Blake staring moodily out the window, on his phone. 

What Adam saw next though made his heart fall. 

The item claimed that Blake had stolen his artist during the Battles to spite him after a particularly vicious argument. How could they turn Blake’s selfless, genuine, _beautiful_ act into something so twisted and bitter? 

Adam was devastated. 

His breath caught in his throat and he turned to his husband to see his reaction. The bigger man still wasn’t responding. “Can you believe any of this, Blake? It’s bullshit.”

No answer.

Blake seemed engrossed in his phone. He was reading the commentary on their tours and how much time they had spent apart. The website pointed out that even when one or the other had the odd day off they’d made no effort to see each other. Maroon 5 had enjoyed a break in their tour and apparently it was expected that the two would reunite, which they hadn’t. This, the website claimed, was more proof that there was trouble in paradise.

Then there was a video montage of the two of them bantering. Blake couldn’t see anything different in the way they interacted to any of the previous series but the video questioned whether the insults were really friendly or if they went too far, indicating a relationship heading for divorce. Blake had been so happy when Adam had stopped picking fights with him all the time and had rejoiced in the fact that the light hearted banter had returned. And now it was being used against them. 

Another video. This time, it was an interview with Kelly and Alicia, but the website was focused on the other two Voice coaches in the background. Blake had his arm around Adam and bent to kiss him. The shorter man twisted away. To those who weren’t there, his actions appeared to clearly demonstrate how much he wanted to avoid the contact. Blake felt his stomach twist.

Oh look, the report by the anonymous hotel employee stating that the two singers were arguing and had requested separate rooms. When the hotel had been unable to provide them at such late notice they alleged that the two coaches had insisted on separate beds instead. This was, as Adam had stated, utter bullshit. 

The article finished with a collection of snippets and quotes from that morning. It replayed the two of them arguing over winning The Voice and had phone footage from fans showing them still sniping at each other outside. Blake couldn’t understand why people were so quick to try and tear others down. What was wrong with being happy? How had everything gone so wrong? It had all been going so well. Blake was once again anxiously twisting his ring around his finger.

Adam couldn’t bear it. Blake looked destroyed. He wouldn’t stop fidgeting with his wedding band. And he still wouldn’t even look at him. “Stop,” Adam croaked, putting his hand on top of his husband’s. Finally, he was rewarded with blue eyes meeting his own, but it only lasted a second before Blake looked down and pulled his hand away, fingers returning to twist the ring again. 

“I didn’t take my ring off, Adam,” the big man muttered.

Adam froze, stunned, taking in the hurt look that covered Blake’s face. Somehow, he’d caused that and he didn’t know what to say to take it away. Why did he seem to be so good at hurting this man? The singer put his arm around the back of Blake’s neck and pulled him closer, forcing eye contact. “I know,” Adam breathed, looking Blake dead in the eyes.

For a moment, no one moved, before a polite cough drew the Voice coaches’ attention back to their managers and Brandon spoke softly into the silence. “We need to plan out what to do next. We contacted the hotel, who strongly deny that anyone spoke to the media and, as you say that you didn’t have separate beds, then I don’t know what proof this website could have. All I do know is that the internet has lit up with accusations and theories. If this was planned as a way to destroy your reputations and careers, it’s been very well executed.”

“I would imagine it was someone from the website,” Ashley interjected. “And I would guess it was for personal gain. I’m surprised their servers are coping with the amount of traffic they’re getting. This is going to bring in a lot of revenue.”

Adam didn’t know what was worse, the fact that their lives could be shattered or the fact that they were just collateral damage. He squeezed the arm still wrapped around his husband to get Blake to look at him again. “What do you want to do?” he murmured.

“Nothing,” Ashley announced. “Neither of you are doing anything until-“

“Photo’s gone up!” Brandon interrupted.

Immediately all four men were focused back on their screens. The photo was of Blake, on his own, in a hotel room. There were two separate beds, each with bags on and each clearly slept in. Blake was by one and had his head lowered, looking particularly downcast. There was no ring on his finger. 

Brandon looked pointedly at his client.

Blake was really upset. “This isn’t our hotel room!”

“That’s Adam’s stuff, I recognise it.” Ashley tried not to sound judgemental.

“It is my stuff,” the rock star said slowly, mindful not to upset Blake further, “but that isn’t our hotel room.”

“You’re saying you think it’s been photoshopped?” Ashley asked.

Adam shrugged helplessly, more concerned with the very unhappy man sitting next to him. “Hey,” he said softly, rubbing the big man’s back gently. “We’ll figure it out.”

But Blake was frowning, studying the photo.

“The comments are already pouring in,” Brandon sighed. Adam glanced down at his phone and grimaced. 

“Hey,” he said again, worried about his husband.

“It is me,” Blake began, brow still creased, “but I can’t figure out when-“ He cut himself off and his forehead smoothed. His jaw tightened instead.

“What?” Adam had a close up view of the changes in his husband’s face. “What is it?”

Blake pointed at the edge of the photo, scowling. Adam leant over to peer at the screen. The two managers also crowded closer, all anxious to see what Blake had spotted. All Adam saw though was a desk with what looked like a plate on it. The taller man was looking at him, his eyes hard and his face grim. “You don’t recognise it?” the country star ground out. Confused, Adam shook his head. “It’s from Vegas. That fucking piece of shit!” The usually laid back singer was furious.

“Vegas?” Adam looked again at the photo. It seemed vaguely familiar now that Blake mentioned it. “How can you tell?”

“That room service guy. He brought me that food. I was getting him a tip.”

Adam’s eyes narrowed. “Shouldn’t have bothered!” he spat.

“Son of a bitch must have had a phone and snapped a picture.”

“Do you think he was the blackmailer?” Ashley questioned. “What other photos might he have?” 

The two singers automatically looked at each other, both trying to think back to that night so many months ago. Blake eventually shrugged, shaking his head. “We were too drunk to remember anything. I doubt either of us would have noticed if a full film crew had taken up residence in the bedroom.” The singer was once again studying the photo. “There’s just one thing though. I was wearing my wedding ring.”

His manager looked closely at Blake’s bare finger in the photo. “Are you sure? You weren’t wearing it when I arrived.”

Blake frowned. “I’m sure of it.”

“It was in your pocket when I got there.” Brandon stated.

“I know that, but I’d only just taken it off when you knocked.” Blake insisted.

“This is good,” Ashley announced. “If that’s true then the photo has definitely been manipulated. We can sue. We had a case before but now we can have the photo examined and once it’s confirmed that it’s been changed we can release that information. People will think the whole photo has been photoshopped rather than just Blake’s finger.”

“Why does it matter?” Adam asked.

“Because you’ve got separate beds,” Brandon said quietly. Doesn’t matter if this is from New York or Vegas, it doesn’t look good. If we get the photo discredited then that can go a long way to restoring public opinion.”

The Voice coaches wore matching troubled looks. Their careers were important to them and they had both agreed to trust their managers to protect them. “So what do we do?” Adam asked.

Brandon and Ashley looked at each other in silent communication before turning back to their clients. “We’re going to handle this,” Brandon stated firmly. “The two of you need to sit tight, not leave the house apart from work and not speak to anyone unless it’s us. We’ll talk to the Voice producers and work out how to keep you from anyone who doesn’t need to speak to you for the next day or two until this is all dealt with.”

Armed with their new information the determined managers headed for the door. “Stay off of the internet and avoid social media,” Ashley instructed. “We’ll call you.”

The door closed behind them and Blake and Adam were left on their own. They looked towards each other, neither knowing quite what to say.

“So,” Blake rubbed the back of his neck, “hell of a day, huh?” He twisted his ring, feeling awkward. “No phones, what do you want to do instead?” 

Similarly overwhelmed, Adam looked at a bit of a loss. This day had taken almost everything out of him, from waking up with Blake to this media storm. To be honest, just spending time with his husband would be all that he desired but he had no idea exactly how to express that. He desperately needed Blake’s laid back manner and relaxed attitude to calm himself down. If he could just touch him again, then he’d be ok. If he could think of a way to convey just how much he needed things to be normal right now. How he would kill for a bit of their usual banter. Adam shrugged.

“I could teach you some yoga?”


	10. Making Amends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay. Had real trouble with this chapter and ended up taking out a large chunk and splitting the rest in two. Next chapter will be up tomorrow.

Blake wondered how long it would take for Adam to explode. 

From the moment they were introduced to this journalist, they had both been on edge. Years of doing interviews had honed their skills at identifying who was going to piss them off and years of being such close friends had honed their awareness of each other’s tolerances for this kind of crap. Blake knew his husband was hovering on the edge and was waiting to catch him.

This was just one of the many interviews they’d been forced to endure. Their managers had done an incredible job at resolving the hotel incident. They had swooped on the unsuspecting hotel employee to discover that he had, indeed, been the blackmailer. He had apparently witnessed the two singers returning to the hotel exceptionally drunk and singing ‘Marry You’ by Bruno Mars at the top of their lungs and had seen a way to make a lot of money. When the news broke before he could get his millions he’d bided his time until the boys next stayed in a hotel to use the photo he’d got when he delivered Blake’s food. The man was now incarcerated, the hotel was beyond apologetic and the whole thing had been released to the press with full details. Mostly. Brandon had been completely right about the photo being dismissed when it was proven to have been manipulated. The two Voice coaches had quickly returned to the public eye and were now suffering through the final part of the process, masses of interviews to confirm their status as madly in love newlyweds. It wasn’t an easy task. 

Especially not when they were faced with assholes.

“You seem to have coped remarkably well through all the recent trauma,” the beady eyed journalist said, implying that this was not something that should be applauded. “But it’s been great publicity for the show coming up to the final, hasn’t it?”

Blake put his hand out just in time as Adam opened his mouth to bite the slimy fucker’s head off. The cowboy pressed his hand into the small of the furious rock star’s back and quickly spoke first. “The show doesn’t need the extra publicity. Our artists generate that all on their own, as you can see from the itunes charts and social media.”

Adam clamped his mouth shut and pushed back hard onto Blake’s comforting hand, almost as if he was trying to absorb his husband’s calm. He was vibrating in anger. He clenched his jaw tightly and listened to his husband cut the arrogant asshole off and finish the interview. Blake then quickly rose, bringing Adam up with him and leading him out, still with his hand pressed firmly onto Adam’s back. 

“We’re taking a break,” the country star informed the crew as they passed, not even slowing down on the way to their trailer. Once safely inside he drew Adam towards him and encased him in his arms. Adam seethed, pushing his head into Blake’s broad shoulder and grinding his teeth together. “Shh,” Blake soothed, “it’s ok.” He spread one large hand over the back of the smaller man’s spine and slowly rubbed it up and down.

“That fucking piece of shit!” Adam was struggling to calm down. 

“I know,” Blake murmured, tightening the arm still wrapped around his husband’s waist, his other still moving calmingly up and down. 

Adam squeezed his eyes shut even tighter and pushed harder into the crook of Blake’s neck. He couldn’t take any more of this. The endless questions, some veiled, some not, were driving him insane. He’d spoken to Ashley about it and if there was any way to limit the interviews but had been assured that this would actually help them in the end. Soon, this would all be over and life would get back to normal. Adam wasn’t so sure. He tried to slow his breathing down, still trembling with rage, and focus on his husband’s scent and warm arms. He wanted them tighter, so that they could squeeze the frustration away. This was shit.

Blake dropped his head down and turned it slightly so that his cheek was pressed against the top of Adam’s head. He could feel the shorter man heaving breaths as he tried to release some of the pent-up emotion he had been holding in check. “It’s ok,” Blake murmured once again. He tightened his arms even more and was rewarded with a shuddering gasp and a drooping of the body he held, as the frontman finally released some of his tension. Blake didn’t let up the pressure. 

Adam squished his head further into Blake’s neck having finally stopped shaking. His thoughts were chaotic, throwing snippets of memories and phrases at him. A never ending stream of questions, conversations and thoughts whirled around, making him wish more than ever that he could just stay right here, in this moment, forever.

Slowly, Blake backed up a couple of steps and sat down on the sofa, bringing Adam down on to his lap. He wrapped both arms around him and just held on for a little while, neither of them speaking until Adam let out a small sigh.

“You ok?” Blake murmured. Another sigh escaped Adam’s lips in response. Blake brushed his mouth against Adam’s temple and stayed quiet, knowing that his husband would respond eventually. Adam just didn’t _do_ staying silent.

“Why can’t they all just leave us alone?” The plaintive whisper was full of frustration and what sounded like pain. It hurt Blake.

“We’ve got to get through it to reach the point where they _will_ leave us alone,” the country star rumbled softly. “It’s no different from when we first got married, really.”

They both thought back to those first few fraught weeks when they were at each other’s throats constantly and both miserable. Adam huffed out his breath and burrowed into Blake’s neck again.

“Except that this time we know it’s nearly over,” the big man added under his breath.

Adam sucked in a breath, feeling unsettled once more. He shivered and Blake responded by tightening his arms. “What makes those assholes think that they have the right to ask all these personal questions anyway?” Adam demanded. Now it was Blake’s turn to sigh. He wished he had an answer.

A knock on the door got the two Voice coaches’ attention but neither had a particular desire to move. The knock came again and this time Blake looked over at the door. “Who is it?” he called.

“Us. Open up.” 

Both singers dropped their heads at the sound of Blake’s manager’s voice and Adam reluctantly left the safety of his husband’s arms to go and answer the door. After letting their managers in he settled himself back on the sofa and waited to hear if they were going to get chewed out for cutting short that last interview.

“I know the last week or so hasn’t been easy,” Ashley began, ignoring the snort from his client. “I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know that the publicity wave has actually been very successful.”

“What’s the catch?” Blake interrupted, eyeing the stocky man warily. Ashley paused, and suddenly Adam sat up straighter. The body language from both managers had changed completely at that question and the rock star realised that his husband had obviously hit on the real reason for their visit.

“Well,” coughed Ashley, looking to Brandon for support. The way Blake was eyeballing him was more than a little intimidating. There was a moment of silent communication between the two managers before they both looked back to the suspicious man.

“As you know, we’ve been working on how to end this situation so that no one gets hurt and we were almost there, but now we just have to get through this little hiccough first.” Brandon was using his most reasonable tone.

“You want to get to the point?” Blake just knew that whatever was going to be suggested, he wasn’t going to like it.

“The one thing that everyone’s been crying out for, I- we think that it would help enormously.” Ashley attempted to sound confident and assured.

Blake’s eyes narrowed as understanding was starting to dawn. He saw Adam shooting glances at him, forehead furrowed and clearly not following what was being implied. “No,” he stated flatly.

“Blake,” Brandon started.

“No,” Blake reiterated, standing up and walking over to pour himself a drink. Still lost, Adam looked from the tall form standing with his back to the rest of them to their managers.

“Will somebody please tell me what the fuck everyone’s talking about?” What little patience Adam had was gone.

Ashley looked once more to the country star, who was resolutely not turning around, before answering the irate frontman.

“If the media had footage of a kiss between you two…” he trailed off, hand lifted in a half-hearted gesture.

Adam’s heart was thumping loudly and for some reason he was having trouble drawing in a breath. He looked again to his husband, desperately wanting him to turn around so that he could see his face.

“Find another way.” Blake took a large gulp of his drink.

The air literally felt charged, as if someone had somehow connected it to an electricity supply and was slowly turning up the power. Adam wasn’t exactly sure what was happening. It almost felt like that moment when he had reassured Blake that he knew he hadn’t taken off his wedding ring. Except, this time Blake wasn’t looking at him. Why wasn’t Blake looking at him? Why was he being so insistent about this? It’s not like Blake had ever seemed to have an issue with trying to kiss him before. Although, he hadn’t really done anything like that since they’d got married. Why wasn’t Blake looking at him?

“Blake,” Brandon was choosing his words very carefully. “We’re not asking for anything graphic, just-“

“No,” Blake interrupted, finally turning around. “I know I push it and Adam says I always cross the line but I’m not going to cross this one. Find another way.” There was a look of absolute determination on Blake’s face and it was abundantly clear that there would be no changing his mind. 

Brandon stared for a good few seconds before nodding once. “OK.” He then walked out, taking the spluttering Ashley with him. Blake looked after them, deliberately not making eye contact with his husband. He could feel Adam’s stare and ducked his head to take another gulp of his drink. The penetrating gaze didn’t waver. After another moment or two Blake finally bit the bullet and looked straight into those familiar hazel eyes. The silence stretched on and this time, it was Blake who broke it.

“I know you’ve found this whole situation difficult. I’m not going to agree to anything that will make you uncomfortable.”

Adam said nothing. He looked at the determined cowboy, as if trying to read what was going through his head. It was Blake who looked uncomfortable and Adam wondered if the thought of kissing him was that bad. Blake had never been shy about being physical before. In fact, it had always been Adam who had pushed the bigger man away when he jokingly tried to kiss him. When Adam imagined what it would be like to actually kiss Blake his stomach flipped and his heart skipped a beat, making him break eye contact and look down.

“Thanks man,” he managed to get out, trying to regulate his breathing. What was _wrong_ with him? He looked back up into blue eyes and forced a smile. “They’ll sort something out." He looked down again. "It’s the final tonight, so let’s just focus on that, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Blake said softly, turning back around to put his now empty glass on the side. He took the time to close his eyes briefly and take a deep breath. He didn’t want anything to upset Adam further and thought he’d done the right thing. 

So why was he feeling like crap?


	11. All Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to hear what everyone else hears, start playing this when the piano notes ring out. It's also linked in the text.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4HJ0zfZ-EM

It was manic on set. It always was on the final day of filming. The contestants had done everything they could, as had the coaches, now it was just waiting until the results show to see who was declared the winner. There was nothing worse than just waiting, knowing that everything was completely out of your hands. It resulted in way too many people with way too much anxiety who had way too much time on their hands. It wasn’t the best combination.

The artists had just finished their final run through and people were milling around the main stage. A beautiful grand piano was in the centre, set up for a special performance in just about an hour or so. Adam trailed his fingers over the keys and walked across to the coaches’ chairs. It had turned out to be a Blake and Adam final after all. They each had two artists in it and Adam was desperate for one of his contestants to win this time. He had felt awful last week when the punk rocker that Blake had stolen for him had gone home. He had tried to apologise but Blake had brushed it off, pointing out that Adam was the only coach to have ever got three contestants through to the final. Adam had quickly countered with the fact that Blake had still won that final, causing the smug cowboy to flash a grin. Adam couldn’t understand why he grinned back instead of tossing out a good insult.

His thoughts were interrupted as [notes rang out](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4HJ0zfZ-EM) from the piano. Adam looked over to see Blake’s young pop singer sitting there. She was focused on the keys and, apart from a glance or two, people carried on with what they were doing. 

Then she began to sing.

_"I know there’s something in the wake of your smile. I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yeah. You’ve built a love, but that love falls apart. Your little piece of heaven turns to dark."_

Adam felt it like a physical blow. The girl’s voice was ethereal and filled with longing and pain. He’d never heard her sing like this before.

_"Listen to your heart, when he’s calling for you. Listen to your heart, there’s nothing else you can do. I don’t know where you’re going and I don’t know why, but listen to your heart. Before you tell him goodbye."_

The noise on set stopped as one by one, everyone turned to stare. The person responsible was unaware, lost in her own little world. Adam was frozen in place, hypnotised by the performance. Her voice was so pure and haunting. Adam felt like he couldn’t breathe. The interlude helped him to gasp in a much needed breath but then her voice rang out again.

The set had come to a standstill and Adam found that he couldn’t tear his eyes away. The contestant was pouring everything into the song and when she hit the high note on the word _‘dreams’_ it tore into Adam’s heart. When she held on to _‘goodbye’_ at the end of the chorus he stopped breathing altogether.

The interlude that followed gave Adam the strength he needed to force his eyes away and drag in one more desperately needed breath. His eyes automatically searched out and found Blake. His husband was similarly captivated by his artist but Adam found that his own eyes were now solely fixated on the tall country star. As if feeling his gaze, Blake turned and unerringly locked eyes with his husband, not moving even when that haunting voice sang out again.

_"And there are voices that want to be heard, so much to mention but you can’t find the words."_

The world narrowed down to just two pairs of eyes, blue and hazel. Nothing else existed. Both knew that it was going to end soon. Neither looked away.

_"I don’t know where you’re going and I don’t know why, but listen to your heart. Before you tell him goodbye."_

The last words dropped into the silence and all around people clapped and cheered, mesmerised by the performance. It broke the spell and both of the coaches looked away. Blake’s contestant was ducking her head, embarrassed by the attention but pleased all the same. Adam took advantage of the distraction and tried to remember how to breathe. He couldn’t stop the pain in his chest and was finding it almost impossible to fill his lungs with air. 

Blake forced himself to go up to his artist and talk quietly to her, arm around her back as he leant down. She basked in his praise and he reiterated that she had a career before her, no matter of the result coming up. She looked directly into his eyes and he thought he did an excellent job at hiding the turmoil and radiating the sincerity. She gently touched her hand to his chest before rising to head backstage. Blake, too, rose and definitely did not seek out his husband before retiring to his trailer. They were going live as soon as the audience could be brought in and he _really_ needed a drink.

Adam was jittery. He had been jittery for the last thirty minutes. Ever since that impromptu performance just before the audience arrived. 

It had been noticed. 

Carson came over and put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, buddy.” He squeezed his hand, getting Adam’s attention. “Another final, and you and Blake again, who would have thought?” Adam had thought of little other than he and Blake for the last half an hour. “I know you want to win, try and shake the nerves buddy, in about an hour this will all be over.”

Adam tried to smile, then went back to pacing erratically whilst waiting for the other coaches to arrive. He spotted the sympathetic looks from the crew and was just thankful that apparently his agitated state was being interpreted as finale nerves. He just wanted to see Blake. To not see him. He didn’t _know_. He could hear the others approach and tried his hardest to stand still.

The remaining three Voice coaches arrived together and assembled ready to be called out. Blake’s eyes flickered over to Adam even as he continued joking with Kelly and Alicia. Before Adam could work out what this meant they were being called on to the set. Confused and edgy, Adam hesitated, meaning that he was last out. He followed Blake and tried to match his usual enthusiasm greeting the fans, knowing that he didn’t. Walking past the others to his chair on the far side of the set, a hand grazed his, fingers curling and brushing against his palm. Adam looked to his husband, who moved away sitting himself down, and abruptly calmed. At least, his jitters stopped. His heart was now racing. He went to his seat, knowing that controlling himself to keep his mind focused was not going to be easy. The next hour was going to kill him.

An hour later, Adam was exhausted. He honestly couldn’t say how he felt if he tried, there were too many emotions to try and separate them all out. He couldn’t even muster up annoyance at Blake for winning _again_. His little pop princess had walked away a victor and not even Adam could fault the American public this time. She shone in so many ways and Adam _knew_ that most people hadn’t even heard a fraction of what she could do. He was pretty sure that the annoyance would appear at some point. At least his contestant had come runner up. 

Again. 

For now, he knew he had to get through the after show party before he could beg off and go home to crash out. If he bowed out early it wouldn’t look good. Blake was off doing interviews and Adam really, really wanted him to be done. Adam wanted a lot of things. Only a couple of hours to go and then it would all be over and he and Blake could take a much needed break from the public eye. Only a couple of hours to go. He could make it.

Taking a break from the ongoing party, Carson stood apart from the crowd, sipping on his drink. It had been like most end of show parties, loud and high on energy. It was a release from all the nerves and adrenaline that had been contained for far too long. Most of the participants were still soaking it up. Carson turned his gaze to the one person who looked like he’d had enough.

Hidden in the shadows, he took the time to closely observe his friends. Adam, quite visibly exhausted, was leaning against his husband. When he’d found out that Adam and Blake had got married Carson had been pretty shocked. The two of them had always been insanely close and the relationship had been played up to be just this side of platonic. But Carson knew these men. He knew what they were like off camera and yet he was still shocked. Not that they had finally admitted to the intense attraction that had always been between them but that they had actually done something about it. He knew that they were drunk when they had got married and he also knew that they had struggled in the early part of their marriage. The rumours of there being trouble in paradise had been strong throughout their fledgling marriage and he knew that most people thought that it wouldn’t last a year. Looking at the two of them now though, Carson wished he could capture it. Anyone who saw them wouldn’t be able to deny the bond.

The host watched as Adam, who’d been leaning more and more heavily on Blake, almost tipped over when his husband moved. Blake turned to face the shorter man and wrapped his arms around him. Adam, eyes closed as he simply fell against him, let Blake’s broad body hold him up, his head falling onto his shoulder. Carson watched as the cowboy bent his head to say something quietly into Adam’s ear.

In a room surrounded by people they were in their own little bubble, but that’s how it had always been. Others could interact, but they couldn’t break in, not really. The two of them had always had that extraordinary connection. When they were with each other it was almost as if no one else existed.

Whatever Blake had said, Adam agreed, nodding his head, still with his eyes closed. Blake turned his head, pressing his lips against the side of Adam’s head and oh so carefully helped his husband to stand upright. Blake called out a general goodbye to the crowd and Adam barely managed a wave. He was falling asleep on his feet. Carson hurried over to quickly hug them both goodbye before helping to send them home.

In the car, Adam collapsed onto Blake’s shoulder, practically asleep before the driver had started the engine. Blake held onto him with his left arm, tucking him as close as he could in the confines of the back seat. He didn’t know what had drained Adam so, he only knew that when he had joined the party the rock star already looked ready to drop. At that point, Blake had no longer cared about anything except finding out what was wrong with his husband. Adam had reassured him that he was just tired but Blake had seen the way that he wouldn’t even look at his face. He only hoped that Adam wasn’t pissed at him for winning the show again. Last time they’d had that argument, things hadn’t exactly gone smoothly. 

A vibration in his jacket pocket had Blake fishing out his phone. There was a text from Brandon. Frowning, Blake read the message and his breath stopped in his throat. Forcing himself to read it one more time, he stared at his phone, his heart squeezing painfully in his chest. For several long moments all Blake was aware of was the device in his hand and the warm body he was holding. Then, being careful not to disturb his slumbering husband, Blake quite deliberately tucked his phone back into his pocket without replying and turned his head to brush his lips against the dark brown locks resting against his cheek. Closing his eyes, he focused on breathing and tried his hardest to force the words he’d just read from his mind.


	12. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

“You want another drink?” Blake asked as he wandered off towards his kitchen.

“Nah, I’m good,” Adam replied, holding up his half empty bottle. He watched as Blake went through the doorway and then listened as he heard his husband fetch another drink. He waited for him to come back but the silence stretched on. Adam felt his stomach clench. That meant that Blake was on his phone. Again.

Straight after they’d wrapped up their commitments to The Voice the two of them had headed for Oklahoma and Blake’s ranch. Adam thought it was only fair, they’d spent all that time at his home and now they got to spend some at Blake’s. Besides, he loved Blake’s ranch. He also loved not having to worry about the media trying to sneak photos or videos of them. But the big man had been distracted, often texting on his phone or walking off to speak on it. Adam had made a joke of it at first but Blake hadn’t laughed it off, just mumbling something about work. Adam had only tried to push him once, which had resulted in Blake simply shutting himself in his room for the rest of the evening. Adam fretted, trying not to think about what it could mean. They’d been in Oklahoma for a few days now and, if anything, it was getting worse. This was supposed to be a time to relax but Blake seemed to be getting more and more stressed. Adam was running out of ideas to try and help him. And he was absolutely refusing to consider what all these things meant.

Adam looked up at the sound of cowboy boots entering the room. Blake looked uncomfortable and had his eyes averted. 

“Hey,” Adam said softly. His husband stilled, eyes flickering to him and Adam kept himself still on the sofa. For a moment they just maintained eye contact until Adam spoke again, just as softly. “C’mere.” He gestured slightly with his hand, indicating the space next to him.

There was a definite hesitation but Blake acquiesced, making his way over and sitting down. Adam paused and then shifted closer, settling along Blake’s side, feeling him tense in response. The shorter man pulled out his phone to show Blake a funny video as a reason for why he’d moved closer. He’d never needed an excuse before. 

It worked though, with Blake slowly relaxing and even smiling at the antics on the screen. Even once the video had finished the cowboy stayed loose and comfortable with Adam pressed up alongside him. When Adam quipped something to make Blake laugh, the rock star was thrilled with the sound of it, a wide grin blooming on his face. Blake turned to him and for a moment they just stared at the pair of eyes mere inches from their own before Blake jerked away and stood up, uncomfortable once more. His phone made a noise and Blake looked down at it, frowning.

“Uh, I have to take this,” he mumbled, walking off and leaving Adam on the sofa. 

The frontman sat there, a shiver running through him as the cold swept through his body. What was going on? Who was Blake texting? Adam wasn’t an idiot and he couldn’t keep denying what he saw. The constant texting and calling, the refusal to tell Adam what it was about, the awkwardness when they were together. Blake obviously had someone else. The question was, when did it happen? Was it a full blown affair or just the beginning? And the big question. _Who was it?_ Adam didn’t understand why it felt like something was pushing so hard on his chest and his face contorted in pain as he looked down and rubbed it. He couldn’t take this. He had to know.

Leaping silently off the sofa, Adam padded after Blake. He hovered just around the corner and strained to hear the words his husband rumbled. 

“No.” That was the first clear word that Adam made out. Blake had said it loudly but then lowered his voice again for whatever he said next. Adam edged as close to the door as he dared and finally heard more. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Blake sighed. Adam wrapped one hand around his chest, gripping onto his bicep to try and stop his shivering in case it somehow alerted Blake to his eavesdropping. What did Blake think wasn’t a good idea? “Let’s not rush things.” Now Blake sounded slightly desperate. Was this other person trying to put pressure on Blake to make their relationship known? What did this mean for Adam and Blake’s relationship? The whole reason that they were doing this marriage thing was to avoid wrecking either of their careers. Was it all going to have been in vain? “No, no I’ll tell him. I want him to find out from me.” This time Adam couldn’t stop the shudder that ran through him and he thought that he was going to be sick. Blake let out an enormous sigh and then there was silence. 

Adam forced himself to go back to the sofa and all but collapsed onto it. He sat hunched in on himself and had no idea how long it had been before he suddenly felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked up into concerned blue eyes. Blake was frowning. “You okay?” the cowboy asked worriedly. “Are you cold?” Adam noticed he was still shivering, quite violently now. He shook his head, not trusting himself to speak but Blake ignored him, grabbing a hoodie he’d left on a chair and passing it to Adam, who clutched it in pale hands. “Are you sick?” Adam couldn’t take the look of concern that Blake was levelling on him. Why would Blake do this? 

Adam lurched off the sofa, surprising Blake into taking a step back, and croaked, “I think I’m going to go and lie down.” He escaped as quickly as he could to his room and crawled under the covers. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the sound of Blake’s footsteps outside the door. He tried not to picture Blake standing outside with that concerned look on his face. He tried not to hear those words that he’d heard from echoing in his head. 

A soft knock had Adam ducking under the covers and wondering if that was still a viable method of keeping him safe from monsters. 

“Adam?” Blake definitely sounded worried. Adam stayed silent. “Adam?” Blake knocked a little harder and opened the door a crack. The shivering man heard the footsteps approach his bed and tensed, ready for the hand that rested on him through the covers. “Adam, you’re sick.” Now Blake sounded dismayed. Had Adam ruined his plan to tell him about the affair? “Do you want a doctor?” No, Adam wanted Blake to go away so that he could pretend that everything was still ok. “I’m calling a doctor.”

“No, I’m fine,” Adam said quickly, through the layers covering his face. He wouldn’t look at Blake. He couldn’t look at Blake.

“You’re shivering.”

“I’m okay Blake, just let me sleep for a bit!” The desperation Adam felt came out more like anger and suddenly, that’s what Adam felt. How dare Blake do this to him. How _dare_ he. And acting concerned was just pissing him right off. “Go away, Blake!”

Adam could feel the older man’s hesitation. He shook his shoulders under the covers to dislodge Blake’s hand and wrapped himself tighter. Why was he still shivering?

“I needed to talk to you,” Blake trailed off, his voice unsure. An icy hand gripped Adam’s heart.

“Well, it will have to wait! Leave me alone!” Adam hoped the covers muffled his voice and made it seem more cross than upset. He held his breath for a few seconds and was rewarded with the sound of Blake shuffling his feet.

“OK.” A pause. “If you need anything, call.” Adam let out his breath and listened to the sound of Blake leaving and the door closing. He waited the extra few moments until he heard the footsteps walk away before pulling his head out from underneath the covers. Really? Blake was going to tell him _now?_ He thought that this was a good time? Adam knew that he couldn’t handle it right now. If he’d spoiled it for Blake then tough, he’d have to suck it up until Adam was ready. Adam didn’t know if he’d ever be ready. Why was he _still_ shivering?

Miserable and cold, Adam wondered if he really was ill. He didn’t understand anything that was happening. Turning over, Adam lay on something uncomfortable and pulled it out the way. Blake’s hoodie. He stared blankly at it for a second or two before pulling it on. He was still cold. Adam huddled into the oversized clothing and curled into a ball. He squeezed his eyes shut once more and wondered if he could stay in bed until it was time to go back to LA. Maybe he could phone Ashley and find a way to go back early. Why was this happening? He pulled the hood up over his head and buried himself more firmly in the hoodie and covers. He realised that he’d stopped shivering. Now he was just miserable. He turned his head further into the hood and willed himself to fall asleep.

Back in the living room, Blake was trying not to panic. He sat on the sofa but was up again within seconds. He ran his hand through his hair, trying not to tug it with fear. What was wrong with Adam? How could he have not known that there was something wrong? Adam had sounded really upset but it was the shivering that was really worrying the country star. What was wrong with Adam? All Blake could do was wait. And panic. If Adam wasn’t at least a little better in a couple of hours then Blake was going to call a doctor regardless of his husband’s wishes. He hated feeling so helpless, there must be something that he could do. Wait, there _was_ something. Blake pulled his phone out and eyed it warily. Should he? He should, he decided. One quick phone call later and Blake was back to fretting. Two hours, he told himself. Only two hours to go. He could make it.

After working himself into a complete state, Blake finally reached his self imposed time limit and made his way back to Adam’s room. He’d managed not to invade the rock star’s privacy until now, but felt justified in checking that his husband was still breathing. He gave the softest of knocks on the door, barely tapping it, and then opened the door and peeked in. The covers were pulled up high and Blake could just see tufts of dark hair sticking out from under a hood. He crept in and looked down at the sleeping man. His heart skipped a beat as he realised that Adam was wearing his hoodie. He wasn’t shivering anymore and was no longer pale. In fact, Blake frowned, he now looked flushed. Did he have a temperature?

Blake pressed his hand lightly to Adam’s forehead, letting his fingertips slide into those dark locks. The frontman stirred and Blake brought his hand back. Adam was warm but not overly so. Sleepy eyes blinked open and appeared to be looking at Blake’s legs. A slow blink confirmed that they weren’t really focusing. Blake sat down on the edge of the bed and those hazel eyes moved to his face, still blinking slowly. Blake knew the moment Adam gained awareness by the sharpening of those eyes and the more rapid blinks.

“Hey,” Blake said softly. “How are you feeling?”

Adam sat up, breaking eye contact with Blake and crossing his arms in front of his chest. He shrugged.

“You’re not shivering anymore,” Blake continued, again reaching out a hand to press lightly on Adam’s forehead. The brunette sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, staying still for a moment before moving his head back. Blake let his hand fall back down. “Are you feeling warmer?”

Adam shrugged again. Blake couldn’t think of what to say. What was wrong with his husband? He stared at Adam’s lowered head, twisting his ring around his finger. He’d never found it hard to talk to this man before.

“Do you want something to eat?” Blake was grasping at straws. Again, that frustrating shrug as a response. Why wasn’t Adam talking to him? Why wouldn’t he even look at him? Blake brooded, his fingers constantly moving that platinum band around. Had Adam found out somehow? Had someone contacted him? Is this why he didn’t want anything to do with him? Because Blake had kept it from him? The thought made his chest hurt. Time to bite the bullet and confess.

“Uh, Adam, there’s something I need to tell you,” Blake forced out. Adam was frozen, his face hidden by the hoodie, his eyes not looking up past Blake’s lap. The country singer wasn’t sure how to even begin. The silence stretched on and he knew he had to just say it. “We’re splitting up.” OK, that perhaps wasn’t the best way to announce it. Adam still hadn’t moved. Blake twisted his ring and tried to explain further. “Our managers have figured out a way. Brandon text me a few, uh, just before and said it’s all set up. It was going to happen today or tomorrow but I-” Blake trailed off, his voice unhappy. Adam still hadn’t moved. “I, uh, told them you were sick and they postponed it until you’re better.” Why wasn’t Adam doing anything? Was it because Blake had delayed it? This is what Adam had wanted from the beginning, wasn’t it? What they had both wanted. Wasn’t it? Blake was so confused. Why wouldn’t Adam look at him?

For his part, Adam was barely breathing. So, they were breaking up then after all, but it wasn’t someone else it was just the plan. All meant to be. How had he forgotten that this was the goal all along. Blake had sounded unhappy. Was this because Adam had fucked up the planned break up? Now they had to delay a day or two because of him. Until he felt better. Adam didn’t feel better. He felt worse. Maybe that meant that they could delay it further? Maybe for a really long time? Except Blake didn’t want to be married to Adam. Blake wouldn’t leave that fucking ring alone. Was he so desperate to get rid of it already? Adam had never been able to say no to this man, he wasn’t about to deny him anything now either.

This time it was Adam who reached his hand out, placing it on top of Blake’s, whose hand instantly stilled. “It’s fine,” Adam’s voice sounded raw. “We can do it whenever.”

Blake took a shuddering breath and felt the emotion crash over him. Why did this feel so bad? It’s not like they had ever really been married. It shouldn’t hurt like this. They would still be friends, that would never change. Would it? Blake gripped the hand covering his and squeezed it briefly before letting go. “I’ll, uh,” he cleared his throat. “I’ll let them know.” Now he was the one looking down and avoiding eye contact. He couldn’t look at Adam. If he did, the younger man would surely see the pain in Blake’s eyes. “You need to eat. I’ll heat up some soup. It should help if you’re still feeling sick.” He abruptly got up and headed out. 

Adam sat there, trying to tell himself that this was a good thing. Isn’t this what he’d wanted? For everything to go back to normal? 

Forcing himself to get up, Adam pushed the covers aside and went into the living room, slumping onto the sofa that he’d sat on only a few hours ago. How had everything changed so quickly? 

Blake brought in two bowls and they sat next to each other, neither eating much. Blake spent more time watching Adam, who struggled to eat more than a few mouthfuls. Eventually the frontman set his bowl aside and mumbled that he wasn’t very hungry. Blake’s face creased in concern and Adam looked away. 

Without saying a word, Blake took the bowls into the kitchen and came back to sit next to the man wearing his hoodie. Adam shivered. Blake put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer. Giving up on trying to maintain a detached façade, Adam cuddled up close to Blake’s side, knowing full well that this might just be the last time in a long time that he could do this. He was supposed to be delighted, elated even. This was what they had been waiting for. Instead, they were practically clinging to each other. Being held by Blake always made Adam feel so loved, so cherished. 

How could he find a way to say that he didn’t want this to end?


	13. Listen To Your Heart

Blake played guitar while Adam watched him. The rock star had given up on pacing when the bigger man had started strumming. They were waiting for their managers to arrive with details on their split. Ever since Blake had dropped that bombshell yesterday, Adam’s mind had been in freefall. How long the two of them had remained huddled on the sofa was anybody’s guess, but neither of them had made any attempt to move before it got dark. From the dark circles under Blake’s eyes, Adam was assuming that the cowboy got as little sleep as he had when they’d finally turned in for the night. Both were on the porch watching the sunrise mere hours later, yet they’d barely said a word to each other. 

What was there to say?

Blake turned his eyes to the pale figure who was curled up in a chair. Although Adam’s eyes were on him, it was clear that his mind was elsewhere. Probably thinking about all the peace and quiet he’d have now that he won’t be stuck with Blake anymore. Blake sighed. He didn’t want to go back to living on his own. He didn’t want to go back to living without Adam. 

The sound of a car coming up the driveway was the signal for both men to move. As one, they rose and looked out the window. Blake’s mouth tightened and he put the guitar down. This was it, then. He went to the door to let their managers in and led the way back to the living room. Adam remained standing by the chair and Blake frowned. The rock star still looked pale. Ashley and Brandon sat down on the sofa, leaving the singers to sit in their respective chairs. The Voice coaches both had their gazes fixed on the floor and were avoiding eye contact, not just with their managers, but also with each other. Blake's fingers fidgeted with his ring, twisting it round and round.

“Right,” Brandon coughed, slightly unsure in the uncomfortable atmosphere. “As I’ve discussed with Blake, we’ve finally got everything set up and we’re ready to roll with it. In a week or two, everything will be back to normal. No more marriage.”

Neither singer looked up and neither singer reacted. The managers exchanged a look. 

“We’ve also found out about a certain long standing celebrity couple who are likewise ending their marriage. The news should hit just after yours and, trust us, it will definitely deflect attention from you two,” Ashley continued. “It’s not going to be an amicable split and since the two of you will be staying friends, the media will lose interest in you twice as fast.”

This time the lack of response was palpable and the silence turned awkward. Brandon looked from his client’s bowed head to Adam’s pale form and saw the rock star shiver. His brows knitted together. “Are you sure you’re alright?” he questioned. Adam gritted his teeth and quickly nodded, but the enquiry had finally elicited a reaction from Blake. The cowboy frowned, looking over to the man huddled in the chair just in time to catch another shiver. He came over and crouched down, putting his hand on Adam’s arm.

“I’m fine,” Adam ground out, irritated that his body had apparently chosen this moment to fall apart, as a violent shiver ran through him once more. He wasn’t cold two minutes ago, what was _wrong_ with him?

“Maybe we should delay this?” Blake began cautiously, only to be interrupted by the upset man still shivering in front of him.

“I’m _fine_! Just tell us what we have to do!” Adam spat out, clenching his fists but refraining from throwing off Blake’s hand on his arm. No one spoke and the other three men seemed unsure of how to respond. The two managers exchanged yet another look but this one was tinged with worry. “Are you going to fucking tell us or what?” Adam demanded, voice harsh and jaw clenched.

“Uh,” Ashley began hesitantly, “well, the plan is-“

“No.” Blake hadn’t even realised that he was going to speak until he did.

Ashley blinked. “What?”

“No,” Blake repeated, stronger this time. He looked up, gripping Adam’s other arm with his free hand. Wide hazel eyes locked with his own. “It’s not going to happen.”

In the silence that followed, neither singer moved and the two men sitting on the sofa were too stunned to speak. Blake was still staring at the man in front of him. The last time he and Adam had looked at each other like this had been on the set of The Voice, was it really less than a week ago? Yet again, the world consisted of just the two of them. Blake couldn’t tear his eyes away now any more than he could do so then and suddenly he knew exactly what he wanted to say.

“If Adam’s not well, we can leave this for a day or so,” Brandon started carefully, but Blake cut in once more.

“No.”

“Blake.” Adam’s voice was a mere whisper, and still, their eyes were locked. 

“Adam.” Blake’s voice was steady and Adam was lost in oceans of blue. “I don’t want to delay this. I don’t want to start it. All this time I’ve been hurting,” he rubbed his chest with his hand, just left of the middle, “I couldn’t understand what it was. I wasn’t listening.” Blake moved his hand back to Adam, this time placing his hand on the side of his face, thumb brushing his jaw. “I don’t want to say goodbye.”

For a moment, time stopped. The chaos that had been swirling inside Adam’s head abruptly stilled. Blake couldn’t mean that the way Adam desperately wanted him to mean it, could he? Adam couldn’t breathe. His chest burned. Then Blake moved his thumb ever so slightly, stroking the skin on his jaw lightly and, with a strangled noise, Adam fell forward into Blake, who wrapped his arms around him. The cowboy stood, pulling Adam up with him and the shorter man buried his head in the crook of Blake’s neck, eyes squeezed tightly shut. Adam felt warmth flood through him and knew that this was where he wanted to stay, preferably forever. He breathed deeply, revelling in the arms locked tightly around him. He didn’t want to say goodbye either.

Blake pulled back a couple of inches and Adam lifted his head to look at him. Large hands held him tight and eyes that were bluer than the sky seemed to look right through him. Adam’s head was tipped up and for the first time in his life he didn’t turn or pull away when Blake, ever so slowly, lowered his lips to meet his for the first time. The kiss was gentle, soft and just about the most perfect kiss Adam had ever experienced. When they broke apart both men were breathing more heavily and two sets of eyes shone with unconcealed joy. Adam couldn’t help himself, he leaned back in and kissed Blake once more.

An unsubtle cough drew the singers’ attention back to their managers and Brandon spoke into the silence. “Does this mean the break up is on hold?”

The Voice coaches looked at each other. Adam focused on the unwavering blue gaze and the way that Blake still held him tightly. He thought about the fact that he couldn’t stop grinning and how, in this moment, he was truly and utterly happy. “It means the break up is off,” he smirked. He was rewarded with a beaming smile and, unable to help himself, he pushed onto his tiptoes to kiss that smile.

“You mean to say that we just worked our asses off for months, all for nothing?” Ashley grumbled, but his face betrayed him, the grin spreading across it.

“I wouldn’t say for nothing,” Brandon mused, pointedly looking at the two men currently entwined. 

Ashley sighed dramatically and stood up. “All that stress!” he complained.

His associate laughed and also got up. “Hey, lovebirds, we’re going to head off. You two think you can figure this all out on your own?”

“Sure thing,” Blake sang out, whilst not taking his eyes off of Adam. He missed the double eye roll from the managers as they took their leave.

As the singers listened to the sound of the car leaving, each of them simply enjoyed the feel of the other in their arms. They’d always been able to speak volumes without saying a word and the silence between them now was comfortable. 

Eventually, Blake spoke. “So, this marriage thing, huh?” Adam looked up expectantly. “You sure you want to stay married to me?”

The quick retort died on the rock star’s lips as he heard the slight apprehension in the country singer’s voice. The frontman moved his hand to the back of Blake’s neck and pulled him closer. “Yes,” Adam breathed, looking his husband dead in the eyes.

Blake blinked and then his lips were back on Adam’s as he tugged him impossibly closer. He never wanted to let this man go. Minutes, or was it hours later, they rested their foreheads together, breathing in the same air. It took a moment before Blake could speak.

“Does this mean that I’m going to have to spend more time in LA?”

“I’ll make it worth your while,” Adam promised. 

“You already have,” was his husband’s instant response before kissing him once more.


	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late posting! Massive thanks to Funtimewriter for poking me!

“I choose…” 

It seemed as if the whole studio was holding its breath. This had been a fiercely fought battle and whichever coach the contestant picked, it would definitely cause a strong reaction. It was a two-chair turn, but those two chairs belonged to Blake and Adam, which meant that the pitches had been intense. Season fifteen was looking to be just as talented as the last and both coaches were desperate to win. Adam was leaning forward, clasping his hands together and pleading, Blake was using his index finger to point to himself and the audience was deafening with their cries.

“…Adam!”

“Yes!” Adam leapt up from his seat and ran for his newest artist, throwing his arms tightly around them and squeezing. He saw off the delighted contestant and rejoiced in the knowledge that he’d beaten his husband. Again. “Ha!” Adam turned to Blake, pointing at him and gloating. The big man sat back in his chair, attempting to give the rock star a _look_ but his fond smile gave him away. Dammit, this was the third contestant today that he’d lost to Adam. He really should be more pissed with him. “Aw, is Blake sad?” Adam pouted and moved his hands near his eyes as if he were crying. “Ha!”

Blake shook his head but didn’t take his eyes off of the smaller brunet. A matching soft smile lit up Adam’s face and he stepped closer, coming right up to the chair. His voice dropped low. “Having problems getting people on your team?” Blake said nothing, just locking his eyes with Adam’s. “No one picking you as their coach?” His voice had dropped impossibly lower. Still, Blake said nothing and Adam sat himself down on his lap. “Sucks to be you,” he murmured huskily.

Blake’s smile turned crooked, eyes alight with mischief. Without any warning, he enveloped his husband in his arms, tightening them and leaning in closer. “Now Adam, I thought we talked about this. Don’t go talking about what we do at home in front of everyone.”

Adam tried to roll his eyes, honestly he did, but his mouth twitched and he couldn’t contain his laughter. “You’re such a jackass!”

“Mm hmm,” Blake agreed, closing the gap between them and kissing that smiling mouth. Adam instantly responded and, heedless of the screaming crowd, the two took their time to enjoy their kiss. It didn’t matter how many they shared, they both would treasure each and every one. Blake revelled in the fact that Adam didn’t pull away but rather pressed closer to him. He couldn’t believe that this incredible man, with all of his innate sensuality, had chosen to be with him. 

Adam, for his part, just loved seeing Blake so happy. It seemed that he was good at making this man content. And that’s just what Adam intended to keep doing. When the kiss ended, Adam was in no hurry to leave his husband’s arms and only pulled back far enough to look into those eyes that were bluer than the sky. God, he loved Blake’s eyes. And dimples. And mouth. And face. And…God, he loved Blake.

“Don’t worry,” Adam said, patting Blake’s shoulder comfortingly. “Eventually, all of _our_ teams will be full and then the contestants will have no _choice_ but to pick you.” 

The expression of mock sympathy lasted until Blake tightened his fingers into Adam’s side, making him squirm. “You little shit!” the country singer growled, making the shorter man laugh as he tickled him.

“Guys!” the floor manager called out. “Back to your chairs! Adam!”

Blake didn’t let up, even as his husband put his hands onto his shoulders to try to lever himself away. 

“Blake! The next contestant is coming in, I have to get back to my chair!” Adam cried. Blake smirked and made sure to get in one last dig before finally releasing the struggling rock star. The frontman was breathing heavily as he stepped back, still eyeing the thoroughly amused cowboy. God, Blake loved seeing him like this. He loved everything about this man. 

“You do know that this one’s gonna pick me too,” Adam asserted. Blake maintained his cocky grin but Adam could see the uncertainty flash in those beautiful blue eyes. Blake really had been finding it hard to get people to choose him this season and Adam knew that it was starting to get to him. “Try not to feel too bad,” Adam stated patronisingly, before he took a step forwards. He leaned in close, lips brushing his husband’s ear as he added, too low for the microphones to hear, “I pick you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much! This is the first story I have ever finished! I've learnt so much. Thank you to everyone who read it, left kudos and especially to those who commented. You have no idea how much it encouraged me.

**Author's Note:**

> My very first fanfiction. Help me improve!


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